How to figure out a gender of a noun
Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2011 9:35 pm
I've done a google and found a few links about this. One said that the gender of a noun can only be known by learning them and another mentioned the following rules:
Are these rules correct or would nouns where the gender can't be figured out have to learned?the following kinds of nouns tend to be masculine:
1) the young of all animals regardless of their sex (e.g. "uan", a lamb);
2) words ending in "-an", e.g. "lochan", a little lake;
3) the names of trees, the seasons, and the days of the week; and
4) any words ending in -as, -ear, -air, -adh, or -iche, e.g. "pìobaire", a piper; "càirdeas", friendship; etc.
The following kinds of nouns tend to be feminine:
1) names of countries, such as "Alba", Scotland, "Éire", Ireland;
2) names of musical instruments, heavenly bodies, and diseases, e.g. "clàrsach", harp"; grian", sun; "reul" star; "teasach", fever; etc.; and
3) words ending in -ag and -achd, e.g. "duanag", a little song; "bàrdachd", poetry.