The system of generic endings of nouns (typical for most Slavic languages) creates a lot of problems for foreigners who decide to study them. On the other hand, it allows the speaker to know exactly what kind of specific name. However, there are a number of non-declining words (often of foreign origin) in which it is not possible to define this category so simply. What to do in this case? Let's find out what is said about this in the grammar of the Russian language as an example of the word "kangaroo" and the like.
What does the noun "kangaroo" mean
Before sorting out the genus of a given term, it is worth learning about its lexical meaning.
The word "kangaroo" refers to a whole biological group of mammals, which are characterized by carrying their children in bags.
These animals have very strong hind legs and move with jumping. On their way, they are able to jump over obstacles of up to three meters. At the same time, their speed of movement is very high - up to sixty kilometers per hour.
Depending on the breed, the size of the kangaroo ranges from five hundred grams to ninety kilograms.
In some respects, these creatures are close to camels. They are also herbivores and able to live without water for a long time, which is a very valuable skill in the Australian deserts.
The process of offspring in these animals is very exotic. After conception and before birth, a little more than a month usually passes (depending on the species, up to forty days). A born baby, even in the largest breeds, is the size of no more than a bean. After it was born, the “happy mother” puts its child in a bag and carries it like this for about six months until the baby is strong.
Few people know about this, but one of the most useful and easily digestible protein products of the human body is the meat of this mammal. However, due to the fact that these animals are found only on one continent (Australia and the island systems surrounding it), only a few can afford to eat this diet delicacy.
Unlike cows and other cattle, methane is not released during kangaroo metabolism (pollutes the atmosphere). This is due to the fact that the bacteria living in the intestines of this creature function differently.
Kind words in English
Unlike other nouns in English, what kind of “kangaroo” can be defined.
The fact is that for this breed of animals there are separate terms for males, females and cubs: boomer (male), flyer (female), joey - child.
Phonetic transcription of a noun
Having learned the interesting facts about this amazing mammal, it is worth considering how to pronounce its name correctly. This will help the transcription of the word.
She will look like this [k'inguru]. Emphasis is placed on the last syllable "ru". It is worth paying special attention to the fact that when pronouncing the first syllable, instead of “e” you need to say the sound “and”.
Phonetic analysis of the term
Having familiarized ourselves with the transcription, let's do a phonetic analysis of the word “kangaroo”.
This term consists of seven letters and the same number of sounds.
[k '] - deaf consonant; softness is given to it by the next vowel - “e”.
[and] is an unstressed vowel.
[n] - voiced consonant, sonorous, firm.
[g] - voiced consonant, solid.
[y] is an unstressed vowel.
[r] - voiced consonant, sonorous, firm.
[y] is a stressed vowel.
What kind of word "kangaroo"
Having become acquainted with new and interesting information about the creature in question, as a biological species, it is worth finally finding out the most important thing. So what kind of kangaroo?
There is a definite answer to this question: in Russian, this noun refers to the masculine gender.
For example: "When I was visiting friends in Australia, I was lucky to see a beautiful kangaroo."
The genus of the word "kangaroo", if you mean the female of this animal
Although the immutable term in question refers to the masculine gender, there are some features in its use. So, when the sentence refers to a female kangaroo (what kind of word this is indicated in the previous paragraph) or the context indicates this, coordination with other parts of the speech goes as if it were a feminine gender.
For example: "The kangaroo has very strong hind legs, with which it is capable of delivering heavy blows." In this case, the animal is generally described, therefore the noun is used masculine.
However: “A female kangaroo is able to stop the development of an embryo in the womb. She can continue to do this until she takes out a child born earlier in her bag. ” In this example, to the question: “What kind of kangaroo?”, The correct answer will be - female. As in the first sentence there is a clear indication of the gender of the mammal.
What gender is in immutable nouns that call animals
Having figured out what kind of word “kangaroo” (masculine) is and in what cases the use of feminine is permissible, it is worthwhile to find out how this category is generally defined in Russian, if these are unchangeable nouns.
The grammar says that the names of the species of animals and birds of foreign origin in most cases refer to the male gender. In addition to the noun “kangaroo”, such words as “pony”, “chimpanzee”, “koala”, “cockatoo”, “flamingo” fall under this rule. At the same time, the tsetse fly and the Iwashi fish variety are exceptions to this rule and apply to the female genus.
As for the females of the animals and birds discussed above, then (as in the case of the word "kangaroo") in the sentence, these nouns can be coordinated with other parts of speech as feminine words.