Apteryx australis
AP-ter-iks awz-TRAL-is
Species
southern kiwi (the wingless bird of the south)
Literally: without-wing southern
Apteryx · genus name
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| a- | not, without | Greek (a) | privative prefix; the form 'an-' is used before vowels, 'a-' before consonants |
| -pteryx | a wing; a feather; a fin | Greek (ptery, -g, -go, -x) | the -x form (pteryx) is the nominative singular of the noun πτέρυξ; here used as the terminal element of the compound |
australis · specific epithet (adjective agreeing with genus)
| Part | Meaning | Language | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| austr- | southern | Latin (austr, -ali) | from Auster, the south wind; stem used in combining form australi- |
| -al- | pertaining to | Latin (-alis) | adjectival suffix forming third-declension adjectives; fused with stem to give australis |
| -is | nominative singular ending | Latin | third-declension nominative singular; same form for masculine and feminine, so no change needed to agree with Apteryx (treated as feminine) |
Apteryx australis is a Latin binomial. Apteryx (Greek a- 'without' + pteryx 'wing') is the genus name, treated grammatically as a feminine noun. Australis is a Latin third-declension adjective ('southern', from austr- + -alis 'pertaining to') in the nominative singular. Third-declension -is adjectives share the same form for masculine and feminine nominative singular, so australis agrees with Apteryx without any change of ending. The epithet modifies the genus name as an attributive adjective.
Pronunciation
- AP-ter-iks Three syllables: AP-ter-yx. The penult 'ter' has a short vowel (e) followed by only one consonant (r) before the final syllable, so rule 5 (short penult + two consonants) does not apply, and neither does any long-penult rule. Stress therefore falls on the ANTEPENULT (AP-). The antepenult vowel 'a' is short because it is followed by two consonants (pt). Final -yx is pronounced 'iks' (y = short i, x = ks). Note: 'pt' is not word-initial here (the word begins with 'A'), so both p and t are fully pronounced.
- awz-TRAL-is Three syllables: aus-tral-is. The ending -alis is listed as a penult-stressing ending (rule 4: penult vowel is long). Stress falls on the PENULT (-TRAL-). 'au' = 'aw'; final -is has a short i.
Other readings
austral + -is: the adjectival suffix -alis can be read as a single unit (austral-is) rather than split into -al- + -is; the meaning is identical
The saved Apteryx ending (-pteryx) is feminine in Greek convention; australis third-declension -is is identical for masculine and feminine nominative singular, so no ending adjustment is needed. Apteryx australis is the South Island kiwi of New Zealand; the epithet australis ('southern') refers to its range in the southern part of New Zealand, not to Australia. The root austr- ultimately traces to Latin Auster, the personification of the south wind.