Language/China-buriat/Grammar/Gender
Hi China Buriat learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will be discussing gender in China Buriat grammar. Gender is an important aspect of any language, as it allows us to distinguish between male, female, and neutral entities.
Consider exploring these related pages after completing this lesson: Adjectives & How to Use Be.
Overview[edit | edit source]
China Buriat distinguishes between two genders: masculine and feminine. Unlike some languages, China Buriat does not have a neutral gender. Instead, objects that do not have inherent gender are assigned a "grammatical gender" based on convention. This is similar to how in English, a ship is referred to as "she."
Gender in China Buriat is applied mostly to the nouns and adjectives. Nouns in China Buriat are either masculine or feminine, and most adjectives have to agree with the gender of the noun they modify.
Let's start by examining how gender affects nouns and their accompanying adjectives.
Gender Agreement[edit | edit source]
Gender agreement refers to the phenomenon where words have to take on a specific form depending on the gender of the noun that they are associated with. In China Buriat, adjectives must agree in gender with the nouns they modify.
Here are some examples:
| China Buriat | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| гэрбэн | gerben | house (masculine) |
| гэрбэнгэ | gerbengэ | house (feminine) |
| сар | sar | month (masculine) |
| сарин | sarin | month (feminine) |
| хайр | hair | love (masculine) |
| хайра | haira | love (feminine) |
As you can see from the table above, the masculine form ends with "н" while the feminine form ends with "нгэ." The adjectives that modify these nouns must also agree in gender. For example:
| China Buriat | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| гэрээн гар | gerээn gar | beautiful house (masculine) |
| гэрбэнгээсээ хийгэ | gerbengээsээ hiige | make from the beautiful house (feminine) |
In the first sentence, the adjective "гэрээн" (gereen) modifies the masculine noun "гэрбэн" (gerben). In the second sentence, the adjective becomes "гэрбэнгээсээ" (gerbengээsээ) to agree with the feminine noun "гэрбэнгэ" (gerbengэ).
Gender Markers[edit | edit source]
Most nouns in China Buriat do not have inherent gender, but some do. For example, "эхэ" (ekhe) means "father" and is masculine, while "эхэнэ" (ekhenэ) means "mother" and is feminine. There are some feminine nouns that end in "тан" (tan) like "гоётан" (goyotan) meaning "girl."
In general, the gender of China Buriat nouns can be inferred from endings or context. Here are some examples:
| China Buriat | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| байгөө | baigoo | brother |
| энэрэх | enerekh | sister |
| эхнэ | ekhne | mother |
| гоётан | goyotan | girl |
| орхон | orkhon | male sheep |
| күйнэ | kuynэ | female sheep |
Dialogue[edit | edit source]
Here is a dialogue between two people discussing genders of various nouns:
- А: Үүний гэж юу болох вэ? (Uuniy gej yuu bolokh ve?) (What is this?)
- Б: Энэрэх. Иштөө дотор байгаа. (Enerekh. Ishtoo dotor baigaa.) (Sister. She is inside the house.)
- A: Хайртай гэж үзээд, өөрийн гоётныг үз. (Hairtai gej uzeed, uuriin goyotnyg uz.) (Look at the one you love and see our girl.)
- Б: Гоётан биш. Гаднаасаа хоёр хүүхэд буй. (Goyotan bish. Gadnaasaa khoor khukhed bui.) (Not a girl. There are two boys outside.)
In this dialogue, the speakers use different gender markers to describe the nouns they are talking about. Б uses "энэрэх" (enerekh) to refer to her sister, and "гоётан" (goyotan) to refer to a girl. А, on the other hand, uses "хайр" (hair) to talk about someone they love, and assumes that the feminine form "гоётан" (goyotan) would be the correct gender for referring to their child, but is corrected by Б to use the masculine form instead.
Conclusion[edit | edit source]
In conclusion, gender is an important aspect of China Buriat grammar as it allows us to distinguish between masculine and feminine nouns. Nouns that do not have inherent gender are assigned a grammatical gender based on convention. Adjectives have to agree in gender with the nouns they modify, and the gender of a noun can often be inferred from the ending or the context.
If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎