Why is it a bull elephant but a boar polar bear?

[Cortavar]

Hi everyone!

Ok, so English has no gendered words (I'm French BTW), that makes it friendly to learn. But then you have animals, who don't always have a distinct name for male and female. So you slap another animal on it to indicate the gender, like a bull elephant or a hen pheasant, right?

But what is the criteria to choose which animal to slap on the other animal?

So far, I've come across a list on wikipedia that kind of makes sense (except for the tapir), and I've extrapolated the following criteria. I want to know if I'm right or if it's another reasoning:

- it's a bird? If it's not a weird cool bird or a bird of prey that has its own names, it gets a hen/rooster slapped before!

- is it a bug? You guys are all queens and kings, because you rule! (Or drones, but we're talking fertile females/males here)

- it's a fish? Who fucking cares. No slaps.

- It's a mammal (or reptile/amphibian)? Ok, hang on, I have additional questions!

- is it particularly cool like a big cat? Lucky you, you get your own names!

- is it dog-shaped? Yup? Let's go with bitch/dog!

- is it a variant of horse (but not a donkey, they're too shifty)? Then it's a horse! Slap mare/stallion at will!

- is it really big (or a tapir)? Yeah, ok, it's a sort of cattle then, slap them with cow/bull!

- is it kind of big but not that big, and bulky (short legs, stout body), or a bear? Ok, that's obviously a pig, let's slap sow/boar on it!

- is it maybe big (but not too big), maybe small, but above all lithe and agile (so no giraffes nor moose)? Oh! I know, I know, that's a deer! We slap doe and buck on those ones! Except when they're from South America, then it's hembra/macho for some reason...

- is it really sheeplike? Then it's ewe/ram, but you gotta earn it, no posers!

- is it an animal you have prejudice against? Does it look shifty, untrustworthy? Yeah, that's going to be jill/jack slap, buddy, I've got my eyes on you!

Does English really work that way or have I over interpreted things?

 

[Prince_Azmiran_Myrian]

Yeah, male ducks are called drakes for some reason, but they aren't any kin of mine.

 

[Empress_Omnii]

Does English really work that way or have I over interpreted things?

Don't worry too much. The most it realistically applies to is farm animals. Like a cow being female and bull male. Or a hen and rooster for chickens and similar birds.

But really? I can call @JayMark80 a cow (instead of bull) and no one really bats an eye.

If there are gendered terms along with neutral ones, in most cases stick to neutral species name as it often is the common name. For example, with an ant, use the neutral name of ant instead of figuring out if it's a drone or not.

 

[ShrimpShady]

D-don't worry about it...

 

[Empress_Omnii]

If you want more specific answers I can probably help you, but unless you want to go into a veterinary or zoology discipline, most gendered names won't matter.

 

[Cortavar]

If you want more specific answers I can probably help you, but unless you want to go into a veterinary or zoology discipline, most gendered names won't matter.

Thanks for the offer!

I'm just curious about a lot of random stuff, and that question bugged me tonight... I'm definitely not headed towards zoology or veterinary studies. (no more studies for me, unless they're law refreshers, or maybe professional/law-oriented English!)

 

[Deleted member 120990]

I have no idea, but this is funny.

 

[Empress_Omnii]

Thanks for the offer!

I'm actually going to explain the reason for bull elephants being a thing because you asked, just know that it won't be relevant for much beyond fulfilling curiosity.

For birds, the most common people know of is a chicken. As such, instead of having a hen chicken it is assumed, out of context, that hen or rooster is in reference to a chicken.
Instead of coming up with names for every bird, it just carries oven to the pheasant.

Animals like a junco aren't farmed so it doesn't matter to have a junco hen.

For bovines a cow/bull is the most popular. But then... someone decided an elephant is close enough to share the term.
But since they aren't farmed, it isn't common to refer to a male as a bull elephant.

 

[Cortavar]

I'm actually going to explain the reason for bull elephants being a thing because you asked, just know that it won't be relevant for much beyond fulfilling curiosity.

For birds, the most common people know of is a chicken. As such, instead of having a hen chicken it is assumed, out of context, that hen or rooster is in reference to a chicken.
Instead of coming up with names for every bird, it just carries oven to the pheasant.

Animals like a junco aren't farmed so it doesn't matter to have a junco hen.

For bovines a cow/bull is the most popular. But then... someone decided an elephant is close enough to share the term.
But since they aren't farmed, it isn't common to refer to a male as a bull elephant.

Wait wait wait!

You're telling me that if you come across an elephant or a bear in the wild, and are not trying to have them reproduce, you're not supposed to gender them with cow/bull or sow/boar even if it might be relevant for other purposes (like behaviour/threat assesment or just generic description)?

 

[Empress_Omnii]

Wait wait wait!

You're telling me that if you come across an elephant or a bear in the wild, and are not trying to have them reproduce, you're not supposed to gender them with cow/bull or sow/boar even if it might be relevant for other purposes (like behaviour/threat assesment or just generic description)?

Somewhat- you can gender them. But instead of using the term bull, you say it is male or female.
To the many who don't or remember the gendered terms for these animals, it is just pointless jargon.

The reason why the terms are used in farming it because it is more convenient and necessary than edge cases like surviving the wilderness.

 

[Cortavar]

Somewhat- you can gender them. But instead of using the term bull, you say it is male or female.
To the many who don't or remember the gendered terms for these animals, it is just pointless jargon.

The reason why the terms are used in farming it because it is more convenient and necessary than edge cases like surviving the wilderness.

Thanks for the precision!

Now I'll use those terms properly (and therefore rarely)!

 

[JayMark]

Don't worry too much. The most it realistically applies to is farm animals. Like a cow being female and bull male. Or a hen and rooster for chickens and similar birds.

But really? I can call @JayMark80 a cow (instead of bull) and no one really bats an eye.

If there are gendered terms along with neutral ones, in most cases stick to neutral species name as it often is the common name. For example, with an ant, use the neutral name of ant instead of figuring out if it's a drone or not.

Bull. But I don't want to talk about it until after my package gets delivered. The eldritch authorities are having a laugh at my expense after I got sacrificed.
Don't call me a cow. I'm a bull of principle.

 

[SternenklarenRitter]

Its odd that bunnies are bucks but rabbits are jacks. Or is a jackrabbit something else? Then there's billy goats and nanny goats. Do domestic cats count with pussy and tom?