Difference between revisions of "Irregular plural"
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An '''irregular plural''' is a [[plural]] that is [[irregular]]. These may be irregular for a variety of reasons, listed below. | An '''irregular plural''' is a [[plural]] that is [[irregular]]. These may be irregular for a variety of reasons, listed below. | ||
| − | * A [[stem-changing plural]] | + | == Morphology == |
| − | * An [[uninflected plural]] | + | |
| − | * A [[voiced plural]] | + | Morphological analysis yields the following categories: |
| + | |||
| + | * [[Vestigial plural]]s come in two varieties: | ||
| + | ** A [[stem-changing plural]], e.g. foot-feet | ||
| + | ** A [[weak noun plural]], e.g. child-children | ||
| + | * An [[uninflected plural]], e.g. sheep-sheep | ||
| + | * A [[voiced plural]], e.g. house-houses | ||
| + | * A [[devoiced plural]], e.g. die-dice | ||
| + | * a [[suppletive plural]], e.g. person-people | ||
* A [[loan plural]] | * A [[loan plural]] | ||
| − | ** A [[French plural]] | + | ** A [[French plural]] (but note most French plurals are regular) |
** A [[Latin plural]] | ** A [[Latin plural]] | ||
** A [[Greek plural]] | ** A [[Greek plural]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | == Semantics == | ||
| + | |||
| + | Semantic analysis gives categories of irregular plurals. | ||
| + | |||
| + | {|Class="wikitable" | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | |People set || | ||
| + | * child-children | ||
| + | * man - men | ||
| + | * person - people | ||
| + | * wife - wives | ||
| + | * woman - women | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | | Animal set || | ||
| + | * <sup>?</sup>cattle - cattle | ||
| + | * deer - deer | ||
| + | * fish - fish | ||
| + | * goose - geese | ||
| + | * louse - lice | ||
| + | * moose - moose | ||
| + | * mouse - mice | ||
| + | * ox - oxen | ||
| + | * sheep - sheep | ||
| + | * wolf - wolves | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | | Body parts set || | ||
| + | * foot - feet | ||
| + | * hoof - hooves | ||
| + | * tooth - teeth | ||
| + | |- | ||
| + | | Fairly common everyday objects set || | ||
| + | * (computer) mouse - (computer) mice | ||
| + | * loaf - loaves | ||
| + | * knife - knives | ||
| + | * scarf - scarves | ||
| + | |} | ||
[[category:Plurals]] | [[category:Plurals]] | ||
[[category:Irregularities|Plurals]] | [[category:Irregularities|Plurals]] | ||
Latest revision as of 10:12, 15 November 2019
An irregular plural is a plural that is irregular. These may be irregular for a variety of reasons, listed below.
Morphology[edit]
Morphological analysis yields the following categories:
- Vestigial plurals come in two varieties:
- A stem-changing plural, e.g. foot-feet
- A weak noun plural, e.g. child-children
- An uninflected plural, e.g. sheep-sheep
- A voiced plural, e.g. house-houses
- A devoiced plural, e.g. die-dice
- a suppletive plural, e.g. person-people
- A loan plural
- A French plural (but note most French plurals are regular)
- A Latin plural
- A Greek plural
Semantics[edit]
Semantic analysis gives categories of irregular plurals.
| People set |
|
| Animal set |
|
| Body parts set |
|
| Fairly common everyday objects set |
|
