<br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">L O W L A N D S - L - 12 December 2007 - Volume 02</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
Song Contest: <a href="http://lowlands-l.net/contest/">lowlands-l.net/contest/</a> (- 31 Dec. 2007)</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">=========================================================================
</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">From: </span><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="HcCDpe">
<span class="EP8xU" style="color: rgb(0, 104, 28);">Roger Hondshoven</span> <span class="lDACoc"><<a href="mailto:rhondshoven@yahoo.com">rhondshoven@yahoo.com</a>></span></span><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Subject: </span><span class="HcCDpe"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">LL-L "Morphology"
2007.11.13 (03) [E]</span><br><br></span>Hi Heather,
<div style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">My
Concise Oxford Dictionary tells me that clergymen is quite all right.
People can get an -s if it denotes a race or nation, e.g. the peoples
of the Commonwealth. And actually, I don't see any objection to cows,
pop singers and socialists.</div>
<div style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">Rgards,</div>
<div style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"> </div>
<div style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;">Roger Hondshoven</div>
<div style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif;"><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">From: <span style="color: rgb(0, 104, 28);">
<a href="mailto:heatherrendall@tiscali.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">heatherrendall@tiscali.co.uk</a></span> <span><<a href="mailto:heatherrendall@tiscali.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> heatherrendall@tiscali.co.uk
</a>></span> </span><br style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" lang="EN-US">Subject: LL-L "Morphology" 2007.11.13 (02) [E] <br><br></span></div>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Ron or Ronnie or ( dare I say it) Ronsey-Wonsey started us off on the odd use of -s in names</p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">I
have used the article below in training Foreign language Assistants for
years. It originally appeared in either the Times or the Telegraph and
makes me crease up every time I read it. I hope the List enjoys it too.</p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">(c) MIles Kington ( who is a well known comic writer )</p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"></span></u></b> </p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Miles Kington<span> </span></span></b></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">A singular Curiosity of English</span></b></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">As
people leaving school have such a shaky grasp of English, I am starting
an occasional series on English Grammar. I would like to kick off with
one of the commonest grammatical dicta in English: that you form the
plural of a noun by adding's'.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Nothing
could be further than the truth! In English any letter can be used to
form the plural. In fact 's' is more commonly used to form the <i>singular</i>. </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Look at my opening paragraph. There are two words in the plural – <i>people</i> and <i>dicta</i> and neither ends in 's'. There is one noun ending in 's' –
<i>series</i> ; and it is singular.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">And yet our children are taught that the plural is formed with 's'! A quick tour of the alphabet will tell a different story.
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"><b>A</b><span><b> </b> </span>a plural formed by 'a' is normally literary or commercial e.g. curricula, data, incunabula, media, strata.
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US"> </span></b></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"><b>B</b><span></span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span></span>A
plural mostly used in fish as in "The chubb are not biting today" But
the plural of 'yob' is 'mob', a rare example of the first letter
changing.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">C</span></b><span lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span><span lang="EN-US">The plural of "A man waiting to be separated from his money" is 'public'
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">D<span></span></span></b><span lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span></span>The
plural of 'blind' is 'blind'. "In the country of the blind, the one
eyed man is king" The plural of John Pilger, Harold Pinter or John
Mortimer end in 'd' – "We, the undersigned…."<span> </span>The plural of 'churchmen' is 'synod' and of 'director' is 'board'</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US"> </span></b></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">E</span></b><span lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span><span lang="EN-US">The plural of 'cow' is 'cattle'.Committee, league, electorate all end in 'e'.
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">F<span></span></span></b><span lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span></span>"In the land of the deaf, the one-eared man is king"
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US"> </span></b></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">G</span></b><span lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span></span>Everyone ends in 'g' according to a lawyer, as in "the foregoing"…. Unless they end in 'd' – "the aforementioned"
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">H<span></span></span></b><span lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span></span>The plural of 'clergyman' is 'church' and of 'magistrate' 'bench'
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">I<span></span></span></b><span lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span></span>Almost
every plural in classical music ends in 'I', such as 'concerti' 'tutti'
'soli' 'celli'. The plural of 'critic' is 'castrati'. The plural of
'listener' is 'hoi polloi'</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US"> </span></b></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"><b>J</b><span> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span></span>This letter is used as a plural ending for foreigners in vast quantity. In India a'raj', in Arabia a 'haj' etc
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"><b>K</b><span></span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span></span>As
you might expect, no plurals of cow end in 's' e.g. cattle, kine, herd
and, in 'k' bloodstock. Jesus often formed his plural in 'k' "The meek
shall inherit the earth" see also 'sick'</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><br></span></b></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"><b>L</b><span> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span></span>British
Rail are a shining example of a plural in 'l'. It used to be British
Railways, but they saw the error of their ways and dropped the 's'
ending<span> </span>cf British Telecom</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"><b>M</b><span></span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span></span>Seraphim and Cherubim provide more Biblical backing here.
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">N<span></span></span></b><span lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span></span>Perhaps the oldest and nicest plural in English, as in men, women, oxen, brethren and Opposition.
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"><b>O</b><span></span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span></span>There is only one plural in 'o' On the other hand it is all-inclusive 'ditto'
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">P</span></b><span lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span><span lang="EN-US">The plural of 'pop singer' is 'group'
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Q</span></b><span lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span><span lang="EN-US">All right! I can't find a plural ending in 'q' – but then I can't find a singular either.
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">R</span></b><span lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span><span lang="EN-US">The plural of 'socialist' is 'Labour'
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US"> </span></b></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">T<span></span></span></b><span lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span></span>A
very popular political plural ending 't'. The plural of 'commissar' is
'commissariat', of 'secretary' 'secretariat' etc Also 'government'
'Cabinet' 'management'</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US"> </span></b></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">U</span></b><span lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span><span lang="EN-US">Every
Welsh plural seems to end in 'u', certainly none in 's'. Good for them.
Also the plural of 'gnu' is not 'gnus', as you might be led to believe
but 'gnu'. This is to avoid jokes like "No gnus are good gnus"</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">V</span></b><span lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span></span>The plural of<span> </span>
cross-reference is 'qqv' </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US"> </span></b></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"><b>W</b><span></span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span></span>'Few' is the small plural of 'one'
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">X<span></span></span></b><span lang="EN-US"><span><b> </b> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span></span>A
popular plural for many a county-dweller, as in Middlesex, Sussex,
Wessex, Essex. So we say " Essex are champions again" not "Essex is
champion again"</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Y</span></b><span lang="EN-US"><span> </span></span><span lang="EN-US">Ditto
for the country-dweller. The plural of German is 'Germany' and so on.
The plural of 'song' , oddly, is 'medley' if pop and 'lieder' if
classical.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US"> </span></b></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Z<span></span></span></b><span lang="EN-US"><span><b> </b> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span></span>The plural of ounce is 'oz'
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">It
only remains to stress that 's' is a singular ending in 'trousers'
'scissors' 'pants' 'jeans'. A 'spectacle' is all you can see, but
'spectacles' are one small thing on your nose.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Having
an 's' on the end is such a sign of the singular that it debars many a
word from even having a plural – 'quietus' 'nous' 'chaos' 'hiatus'.</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">As a final clincher, look at any English verb. "He works" "They work" Which is plural? Which has the's' ending?
</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US"></span> </p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Brilliant!</span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Have fun </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Heather</span></p><br>