What is the grammatical gender of the word "dog"? - briefly
The grammatical gender of the word "dog" in English is neuter. This is determined by its usage and context within sentences.
What is the grammatical gender of the word "dog"? - in detail
The grammatical gender of the word "dog" depends on the language in which it is used. In English, the concept of grammatical gender does not apply as it does in languages like German, French, or Russian. English nouns do not have inherent grammatical gender; they are neither masculine nor feminine. Therefore, when referring to a dog, you would use "it" rather than "he" or "she," unless the sex of the dog is known and specified.
In languages where grammatical gender is a fundamental aspect, such as German or Spanish, the word for "dog" does have a specific gender. For example, in German, the word for "dog" is "Hund," which is masculine (der Hund). In Spanish, the word for "dog" is "perro," also masculine (el perro). Similarly, in French, the word for "dog" is "chien," and it is masculine (le chien).
It is important to note that while English does not assign grammatical gender to nouns, the use of pronouns can still convey a sense of gender. For instance, if referring to a female dog, one might say "she" or "her," and for a male dog, "he" or "him." However, in the absence of specific information about the sex of the animal, "it" is the appropriate pronoun in English.
In conclusion, the grammatical gender of the word "dog" varies across languages. While it does not have a gender in English, in many other languages, it is masculine.