- Forum >
- Topic: Esperanto >
- Bovino vs bovo
Bovino vs bovo
I noticed in the course that "bovino" is used for "cow". While that's technically correct, since cows are female cattle, from an Esperanto point of view I believe it to be better to use "bovo" in the course...
Ne sole bovinoj estas mamuloj, virbovoj ankaŭ estas mamuloj! ;)
7 Comments
661
"Bovo" might be used for "bull", perhaps? I think in the Spanish course, they separate cow/bull as vaca/toro respectively - maybe they're doing the same in Esperanto. "Ox" and "oxen", or "cattle beast", is the gender-neutral term in English, just rarely used in this language.
In Esperanto, the neutral terms such as bovo, koko, hundo, etc. are either masculine or undetermined. To specify female, you add -ino, to specify male, you add vir-.
Compare:
koko: chicken (or cock)
kokino: hen
virkoko: cock
hundo: dog (or stud)
hundino: bitch
virhundo: stud
ĉevalo: horse (or stallion)
ĉevalino: mare
virĉevalo: stallion
ŝafo: sheep (or ram)
ŝafino: ewe
virŝafo: ram
I've always found the lack of "masculine suffix" a big issue in Esperanto. Of course the language was created in times when things were just assumed to be masculine unless specified otherwise, but times have changed... Maybe if Duolingo popularises Esperanto enough, there could be a language reform? For example, to introduce -iĥo as masculine suffix, so that unspecified actually means unspecified? You could then also get rid of ge-
currently:
patro: father
patrino: mother
gepatroj: parents
but how do you say "parent"? You can't. Gepatro is not correct because ge- only works with plurals.
Proposed reform:
patro: parent (unspecified gender)
patrino: mother
patriĥo: father
patroj: parents (unspecified gender)
gepatroj: parents (specifically both fathers and mothers)
Oh well... One can always dream, I guess! :D
Following that logic, chickens should be "kokinoj" and sheep should be "ŝafinoj", since the domesticated animals of those kinds that one sees are predominantly female as well.
It seems that the choice for "bovino" instead of "bovo" for "cow" is mostly based on the fact that the English word "cow" is also actually the female animal, while "chicken" and "sheep" are gender-unspecified, even though in Esperanto there's no need or even logic to go for that choice.
I think the animals lesson is one I skipped in the placement test, so I don't have an opinion as regards the Duolingo course, but if I saw a group of chickens or sheep I'd call them kokinoj or ŝafinoj. Though I am only a relative beginner.
(Far from the only language where some animals are commonly referred to by one gender or the other, and the standard isn't always male.)