Re: USAGE: THEORY/USAGE: irregular English plurals (was: RE: [CONLANG]
| From: | Steg Belsky <draqonfayir@...> |
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| Date: | Tuesday, May 21, 2002, 1:43 |
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On Mon, 20 May 2002 21:08:33 -0400 John Cowan <jcowan@...>
writes:
> > As for animals, the bare plurals are arguably regular, due to a
> > productive rule saying that nouns denoting animals of a certain
> type
> > (huntable?) take bare plurals; certainly the list is open-ended,
> a
> > telltale sign of productivity.
> I think the criterion is herdable (or self-herding) rather than
> huntable,
> but foxes are huntable, and goats herdable, so I think we have an
> irregular
> survival rather than any sort of rule. I cannot think of any
> modernly discovered animal which has a zero plural.
> --
> John Cowan <jcowan@...>
-
Personally, i find myself quite often using forms like "sheeps", "deers",
and i'm pretty sure at least some of my friends do the same thing.
-Stephen (Steg)
"oooh... deer religion!"