Definitions for animacy
an·i·ma·cy

WiktionaryRate this definition:3.5 / 2 votes

1. animacynoun

   The characteristic of a noun, in some languages, that is dependent on its living or sentient nature; this characteristic affects grammatical features (it can modify verbs used with the noun, affect the noun's declension etc).

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Animacy

   Animacy (antonym: inanimacy) is a grammatical and semantic feature, existing in some languages, expressing how sentient or alive the referent of a noun is. Widely expressed, animacy is one of the most elementary principles in languages around the globe and is a distinction acquired as early as six months of age.Concepts of animacy constantly vary beyond a simple animate and inanimate binary; many languages function off of a hierarchical general animacy scale that ranks animacy as a "matter of gradience". Typically (with some variation of order and of where the cutoff for animacy occurs), the scale ranks humans above animals, then plants, natural forces, concrete objects, and abstract objects, in that order. In referring to humans, this scale contains a hierarchy of persons, ranking the first- and second-person pronouns above the third person, partly a product of empathy, involving the speaker and interlocutor.

WikidataRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. Animacy

   Animacy is a grammatical and/or semantic category of nouns based on how sentient or alive the referent of the noun in a given taxonomic scheme is. Animacy can have various effects on the grammar of a language, such as choice of pronoun, case endings, word order, or the form a verb takes when it is associated with that noun. In languages which demonstrate animacy, some have simple systems where nouns are either animate or inanimate, whereas others have complex hierarchical systems. In such a system, personal pronouns generally have the highest animacy, followed by other humans, animals, plants, natural forces such as wind, concrete objects, and abstractions, in that order. It is possible that different languages with animacy hierarchies could rank nouns in different ways; but because human languages have not all been thoroughly documented yet, it is impossible to generalise completely.

How to pronounce animacy?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say animacy in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of animacy in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of animacy in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Animacy
2. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animacy
3. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=animacy