Bernese mountain dog
- noun
- /ˈbɜrniz ˈmaʊntən dɔg/
:
perro de montaña de Berna
- The friendly Bernese mountain dog greeted everyone at the park with a wagging tail.
Examples
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The Bernese mountain dog is known for its gentle temperament and loyalty.
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Her family owns two friendly Bernese mountain dogs that love hiking in the mountains.
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A Bernese mountain dog requires regular grooming due to its long, thick coat.
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The Bernese mountain dog is known for its friendly nature.
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Many families choose a Bernese mountain dog for companionship.
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My Bernese mountain dog loves to play in the snow and chase after sticks.
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As a gentle giant, the Bernese mountain dog is known for being great with children.
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is clearly compositional: 'Bernese' (from Bern) + 'mountain' + 'dog' describes a dog breed associated with the Bernese mountains. This follows ordinary noun compounding and is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The name Bernese mountain dog comes from Swiss farmers. In the canton of Bern, people used big, strong dogs in the mountains to pull carts and help on the farm, so Bernese means 'from Bern' and mountain dog shows their place and job. That's why the name now means 'a large, gentle Swiss working breed'.