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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!ihlpa!humbert
From: humbert@ihlpa.UUCP (shachter)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: names of animal categories
Message-ID: <791@ihlpa.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 11-Sep-85 10:42:38 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihlpa.791
Posted: Wed Sep 11 10:42:38 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 12-Sep-85 09:12:24 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 47

I am interesting in knowing the English words for various categories of animals.
The following chart should explain itself:




   Generic       Adult      Adult     Castrated       Child     Child    Child
Single;Plural    Male       Female      Male         Generic    Male     Female

Horse ; Horses   Stallion   Mare      Gelding          ???      Colt     Filly

 ??? ; Cattle    Bull       Cow       Ox <or> Steer  Calf        ???      ???

Swine ; Swine    Boar       Sow       Barrow         Pig         ???      ???

Goat ; Goats      ???        ???       ???           Kid         ???      ???

Sheep ; Sheep    Ram        Ewe       Wether         Lamb        ???      ???



If you know any words that belong in the cells where I have marked `???',
please write to me and tell them to me.  You will notice that I am particularly
ignorant about goats, since I know only the words `Goat', `Goats', and `Kid'
(I don't count the slang words `Billy-goat' and `Nanny-goat', but if you
believe that these words, although slang, are those used by farmers, then
please write to me and tell me so).

The two cells in which I am most interested are the two leftmost cells in the
table -- the singular for `Cattle', and the term for an adult male goat.

Another interesting point, although totally irrelevant to my current request,
is that English has words like `Beef' and `Veal' and `Pork' and `Mutton' which
denote the flesh of various categories of animals, as opposed to the living
animal.  These words are all French (although `Mutton' comes to French through
Gaulish, not through Latin).  Presumably the Norman rulers did not tend to the
animals when alive, but were the only ones who ate them when they were dead.

Incidentally, I am still interested in the topic of my previous posting, so if
you know any words that distinguish between organic fat and subcutaneous fat,
please write to me and let me know.  I do not read this newsgroup regularly,
and I doubt that the information is of general interest, so please do not post
to the net.

Thank you in advance for your help.

					jfs (...!ihnp4!ihlpa!humbert)