You get geese so why not meese?
2006-09-21 23:25:13 · 16 answers · asked by Mike 3 in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
to blah j: Because goose->geese, that is in the question.
to Crowbird_52: Actually, that is a whole other question, why isn't it mongeese?!
2006-09-21 23:39:36 · update #1
to sluggo1947, the plural of radius IS radii. Good point about the hice, another question methinks.
2006-09-21 23:46:09 · update #2
No moose is a collective singular so many moose are moose, just as many sheep are sheep not 'sheeps'.
2006-09-21 23:27:45 · answer #1 · answered by Fluorescent 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Because the word moose derives from an Algonquian language from around the 1600s. A lot of Native American languages do not have plural forms. Therefore, moose (or moz or mooz depending on which Algonquian language it is derived from) is both singular and plural.
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Linguist.
2013-10-29 22:34:54 · answer #2 · answered by gothicmetalheadgirl 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Umlaut Rule, used in old Germanic languages, is the cause of this. In Old English, if a singular word had a back vowel (Pronounced from the back of the throat, like "foot" or "Mouse") is followed by a front vowel (Sounds like "ee" or a long "I"), in the plural forms, the back vowel would be dropped and replaced with the front vowel. In old English, "foot" was spelled Foti (Fot-ee) and the plural dropped the "o" and replaced it with the "ee" sound. This gives us words like foot-feet, goose-geese, and mouse-mice. Because Moose is an American word, it doesn t follow this rule, and the plural remains moose.
2015-04-05 16:51:06 · answer #3 · answered by kennedy 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why isn't the plural of house...hice? Why is the plural of radius...radii ? Somewhere a mystic is climbing a mountain to sit and ponder this.
2006-09-21 23:41:31 · answer #4 · answered by sluggo1947 4 · 5⤊ 2⤋
that's because English is just a weird language with exceptions. you know why isn't the plural of piano spelled pianoes instead of pianos since most words ending in consonant-"o" adds an -es? that's the same idea. why isn't the plural of roof rooves instead of roofs since the plural of knife is knives?? that's also the same idea. The creators of English just decided to make it harder and made it that way so you better cope with it.
2006-09-22 00:12:34 · answer #5 · answered by 5-1=4 2 · 2⤊ 2⤋
The way how people speak, spell and write today, I think anything is "acceptable", so if we can use 4 for 'for', and c for 'c' and b4 for 'before' and u for 'you' etc, I am sure that we can now officially say that the plural of moose is now MEESE (Actually quite like it!!!)
2006-09-21 23:29:42 · answer #6 · answered by London Girl 5 · 1⤊ 4⤋
For the same reason that the plural of "mongoose" isn't "mongeese." Go figure!
2006-09-21 23:36:16 · answer #7 · answered by crowbird_52 6 · 8⤊ 1⤋
Think about this also and it will help you maybe.
If the Plural of Dice is Die, why is not the Plural of Mouse Mye
2006-09-22 00:01:09 · answer #8 · answered by Ex Head 6 · 1⤊ 4⤋
Because English is a crazy language
2006-09-21 23:35:27 · answer #9 · answered by Shekinah Iya C 1 · 10⤊ 1⤋
It stays the same, just as sheep do.
2006-09-21 23:34:00 · answer #10 · answered by bumbleboi 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋