Subject: Newfangled Plural Nouns
Date: Oct 13 09:14:52 1994
From: Jim Lyles - jrlyles at fs01dwatcm.wr.usgs.gov




Gene Hunn and others have noted a tendency to leave off
the -s inflection in plural nouns, especially of bird names.
Some correspondents have been irritated by the tendency.

May I point out, however, that the use of the final -s
to form almost every English plural is modern, newfangled
innovation. The good old language, Old English (from about
the year 450 to about 1100), formed plurals (depending on the
class of the noun) in many ways. Notice the change of the
root vowel in FOOT/FEET or MAN/MEN. Notice the -en ending
in OX/OXEN. Notice the double plural ending -er and -en
in CHILD/CHILDER (old plural) or CHILD/CHILDEREN (double
plural). Notice the -a plural in the old SUNU (son, singular)/
SUNA (sons, plural). And notice the uninflected plural in
SHEEP(singular)/SHEEP(plural) and DEER/DEER.

Thus, this tendency to add a -s to just any noun, including
bird names, is a modern and trendy departure from the
good old language that we purists esteem.


--Jim Lyles
Tacoma