Question of gender and pets

[Irina Shevelenko]

-- У тебя есть собака?
-- Да, две. (Два кобеля. -- Optional.)

As for the narrative, it may go like this: У меня есть собака. Ее зовут Макс. Это кобель.

"Пёс" is both colloquial and stylistically marked (somewhat sentimental: Это замечательный пёс. Я люблю своего пса.) "Кот" on the contrary is quite neutral, and it is easier to indicate animal's gender immediately, if the talk is about cats: -- У тебя есть кошка? -- Да, (есть) кот. Его зовут Васька. In the narrative, gender may be indicated right away: У меня есть кот. Его зовут Васька. Or: У меня есть две кошки, то есть кот и кошка, etc.

Irina

-----Original Message-----
From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list [mailto:SEELANGS at LISTSERV.UA.EDU] On Behalf Of Emily Saunders
Sent: Sunday, October 27, 2013 6:08 PM
To: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.UA.EDU
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Question of gender and pets

Thanks!  How about this hypothetical.  I own two dogs, both male.  If asked:  У тебя есть собака?  Would you be specific and answer:  У меня два кобеля (would you ever sаy пса?) Or would you say the generic у меня две собаки.

Thanks.  It seems straightforward, but I get this question asked a lot when students do introductory essays/blog posts about their family members and pets.  I call it the Это моя собака.  Его зовут Кинг.   dilemma.

I'd love a variety of opinions about when you would and when you would not specify the masculine gender of your pet.

Thanks!

Emily

On Oct 26, 2013, at 9:50 PM, Irina Shevelenko wrote:

> The conversation might go this way:
> 
> -- Это твоя собака? Как *ее* зовут?
> -- Макс, это кобель (мальчик).
> -- Сколько *ему* лет? 
> -- Три.
> 
> In the household, the dog will go by name and will always be referred to with gender-appropriate personal and possessive pronouns.
> 
> Irina
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list 
> [mailto:SEELANGS at LISTSERV.UA.EDU] On Behalf Of Emily Saunders
> Sent: Saturday, October 26, 2013 4:58 PM
> To: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.UA.EDU
> Subject: [SEELANGS] Question of gender and pets
> 
> Hello!
> 
> I'm about to introduce noun gender and pet vocabulary to my Beginning Russian students and I'm preparing for the inevitable question that will follow -- "If my dog is a boy and собака is feminine, do I say вот она, or её зовут, or..."  
> 
> And I've never been able to get an entirely satisfactory answer to the question of what you do when the default vocabulary word for a pet is feminine, but the actual pet is a male.  So hypothetically someone is asking about the name of your boy-собака:  Как её зовут? How do you respond?  Is there any etiquette to correct the gender assumption.  Do you treat your male-собака as grammatically feminine?  
> 
> I'd love a smattering of advice in how this is handled?  In English if someone asked about my male cat:  What's her name?  I'd respond simply, "His name is Jack."  Does the same hold true in Russian?  
> 
> Thanks in advance!
> 
> Emily Saunders
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