Valid point, but think about the following:
sac & dibi - where sac is for both*
awr & hal - halo (geel) is for both, pl.
ri' & orgi - riyo(h) is for both, pl.
sabeen & sange
faras & baqal
* Could you think about what the female be called? I could not, perhaps we could ask 'lo'ley'.
Correct; I was merely going by what the lady said.
Cattle: Lo'
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Singular: Sac/Dibi (adult)
Different stages in age:
Male:
โขWeyl = calf (emphasis on the
y), plural is weylo
โขTeen equivalent male cow= Qaalin (hard pronunciation like male inan)
โขDibi (full grown), pronounced softly compared to when referring to Oxen.
Female:
โขWeyl (soft y),
โขQaalin (pronounced like female inan)
โขSac. Weirdly, I always heard their plural referred to as Qaalmo
The unit of 100 is the standard measurement of Somalis when it comes to their livestock.
100 Lo' is called Fadhi Lo' ah.
Camel
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Male: Awr
Female: Hal
Plural: Geel
Males go through the stages of:
โขNirig โขQurbac โขQaalin โขAwr
Females go through the stages of:
โขNirig โขQaalin โขHal
pronunciation of nirig is different of course, also I don't know the female equivalent of qurbac.
Aaran is the collective noun for calves off both sex.
100 camels are Kadin Geel ah
Adhi/Ari:
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Divided into Adhi (Goats) and I'do (sheep)
Adhi consists of: Riyo (nanny) and Orgi (billy)
Males go through the stages of:
โขwaxar โขceesaan โขorgi
Females are the same only the pronunciation is different as expected. Waxaro is the collective noun for very young goats.
I'do consist of: Lax and Wan
Male stages: โขNayl โขSabeen โขWan
Female stages: โขNayl โขSabeen โขLax
Naylo or baraar is the collective name of very young sheep.
100 goats or sheep or a mix of both is called: Tiro adhi ah
Maqal is the collective noun of both young goats (waxaro) and young sheep (naylo/baraar). It is my favourite group of animals to herd. They are playful, energetic, and you can carry them easily. Plus their naaaa sound is cute, but you have to be careful the occasional angry lax or ri' mom might headbutt you.
Collective noun of sheep & goat = Adhi
Collective noun of Cattle & Camels= Ishin
Collective noun of Horses & Donkeys = Gammaan
Reer miyi refer to each species of livestock reared for their meat and milk as Meesi hence Somalis have Afar Meesi (Adhi, I'do, Lo', Geel).