2007-02-13 08:11:26 · 7 answers · asked by ? 3 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
Centuries ago it was fairly common to make plurals by adding -en at the end, but that's pretty much dropped out of use. No one really knows why it dropped out of use, or why it managed to survive in oxen and in two others that have more complicated stories: children and brethren.
Also, back in the days of Old English, different regions within England spoke differently ways. Roughly speaking, the south, east and west used -en for plurals, and the north used -s. So the question of "why did this way prevail" is tied to historical questions of "which region became dominant".
A story about that confusion over "which plural form" is told by the first English printer, William Caxton. He said (speech modernized): "common English that is spoken in one shire varies from another so much that in my days certain merchants ... went to land. And one of them came into a house and asked for EGGS. And the good wife answered that she could speak no French. And the merchant was angry, for he also could speak no French, but would have had eggs, and she understood him not. And then at last another said that he would have EYREN, and then the good wife said that she understood him well. Lo, what should a man in these days now write, EGGS or EYREN? Certainly it is hard to please every man, by causeof diversity and change of language."
2007-02-13 09:03:50 · answer #1 · answered by K ; 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Plurals Of Ox
2016-12-18 07:51:39 · answer #2 · answered by puente 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
One of those strange grammar things just like the singular of Opera is Opus. Ok, so the people of Poland are called Poles why aren't the people of Holland called Holes? :)
2007-02-13 10:48:48 · answer #3 · answered by bomullock 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't know. If the plural for goose is geese then why aren't a bunch of moose called meese?
2007-02-13 08:30:12 · answer #4 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I wonder what would help my cough.
A cup of cough-ey should. [coffee]
At least, it wouldn't bump me ough,
And it might do me gould.
English is inconsistent, being drawn from multiple other languages.
2007-02-13 10:53:01 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Becaus ethe worled is wierd. why not deers or fishes or micen?
2007-02-13 08:14:39 · answer #6 · answered by sydsoccer15 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
and if the plural of "mouse" is "mice", why in the name of common sense is the plural of "house" "houses"??? things that make you say, "hmmmmm".
2016-05-24 06:24:02 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋