Re: Nouns for things that occur in pairs

Philip:
<<
I thought that Arabic could treat plurals as a feminine singular in
general? And that it also had a dual number?
 >>

These pairs have nothing to do with the dual.  And, no, plurals
in general are not feminine singular:

waalida saGiira "short mother"
waalidaat saGiiraat "short mothers" (note agreement)

I should say *animate* plurals are not; inanimate plurals are.

The distinction is a relatively minor one: body parts that come
in pairs are always feminine, and those that come in ones are
always masculine.

-David
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