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78.
A Noun denoting one person or thing is said to be in the Singular
Number. A Noun denoting more than one person or thing is said
to be in the Plural Number.
- The Plural
is, however, frequently used as a polite and respectful
form with reference to a single person also. See 309
- Material
(74) and Collective (75) Nouns are ordinarily used in
the Singular only. They may have the Plural for denoting
the serveral varieties or species of a material or different
groups of the same kind
79.
The Singular Number is inherent in the base-form of Noun
: ܽ `a horse', `a boy', ܡ `a cow',
`a habit'. Many Hindi Nouns have the same (base) form
in the Plural Number as well which in such cases is indicated
by the context, the form of the Verb etc. ܣ `one
house', ܽ ܣ `two houses'; while others are slightly
modified : `one boy', ܽ `two boys';
ܡ `one cow', ܽ ܡܽ `two cows'.
- Plurals1
are formed according to the following rules:
- All Masculine
Nouns, except those ending in , remain unchanged in
the plural : ܣ `house(s), ܾ `bull(s)', `sage(s)',
ܚܻ `saint(s), mendicant(s)', ܃ `brother(s)', ܈
`robber(s)', ܾ `barley grains(s)'.
- Masculine
Nouns ending in change the to : `boy';
`boys'; ܽ `horse'; `diamond';
`diamonds'; ܽ `son'; ܽ `sons'; ܬ `way'; ܬܽ
`ways'.
Exceptions:
- The Tatsama
Nouns [69 (2)] ending in do not change :
`king or kings', `father or fathers', ܽ
fighter of fighters'.
- Nouns
signifying a relationship and having a ``reduplicative''
or repetitive form do not change : `paternal
grandfather (s)', ܛ `maternal grandfather (s)',
܈ or ܍ `paternal uncle(s)', ܟ `maternal
uncle(s)'. But `nephew', ܽ `son' and
ܽ `grandson' etc., being non-reduplicative,
change as usual, ܽ `nephews', ܽ `sons',
ܽܽ `grandsibs' etc.
- A few
more unclassified Nouns also do not change in the
Plural : ܺ `leader(s)'; ܺܡ `chief(s);
ܥ `mister' (honorific, for certain castes).
- All Feminine
Nouns, except those ending in , and , forn their
Plurals by attaching (which does not replace the final
vowel, as in the case of Masculine Nouns, but is merely
attached) :
`creeper' - ܇ `creeoers' ; Ř `story'- Ř܇
`stories'; ܽ `army' - ܽ܇ `armies'; ܬܺ
`things'; ۻ `bride, wife' or daughter -in-law-
ۺ `brides, wives or daughters-in-law'; ܻ `hot
wind' ܺ `hot winds,
Important
Note:-
(i) It
is usual to write ܡܽ, etc. for ܇ etc.
But these ܽ - forms had better be avoided. The
Plural sign is and not ܽ.
(ii) Notice
that long changes to short in words like ۻ
and ܻ. See 50(b)
(d)In
the case of Feminine Nouns ending in the inherent , which,
being final, is naturally silent (51-a), the is combined
with the final consonant : ܹۛ (i.e.ܹۛ) `sister'
- ܹۛܽ `sisters'; () `night'- ܽ `nights';
ܡ (ܡ) `cow' ܡܽ `cows'; () `eye'
- ܿܽ `eyes' etc.
(e)
Feminine Nouns ending in , or attach for forming
Plurals : `custom' - ܡ; ܹ `date'- ܹܡ;
`girl' - š; `river' - ܹڡ;
ܽ `daughter' - ܽ; [Note that both and
change to . This is due to Sandhi. See 50 (a)]
In
the case of Nouns ending in , the coalesces with the
final of the words: ܺ `old woman', - ܺ
`old woman', - ܹ `bird'-ܹ `birds'; ܺ
`doll' - ܺ `dolls'. For coalescence of + into
a single see 49 (a) (1).
Tatsama
words like ś etc. follow the general rule (c) above:
ś `unmarried young girl, daughter' - ś܇; ܡ
`wife' - ܡć.
- The word
ܽ meaning `people', is sometimes appended to such
Masculine Nouns as do not modify in Plural. The signification
is that of plurality. but usually, `as a class' :
ܽ `kings' (as a class), ܡ ܽ `the Aryans'
(as a class), ܚܺ ܽ `saints, mendicants' (as a
class) The compound ( ܽ etc.) thus formed is
treated as a single word, the element (, ܚܺ,
etc.) remaining unchanged, and only ܽ taking case-forms,
etc.
Note:-
(i)ܽ is compounded only with Nouns denoting human
beings. We cannot say ܣ ܽ, ܛڣ ܽ or ܛܨܣ
ܽ, (ܣ `house', ܛڣ `monkey', ܛܨܣ `animal').
(ii)
The words ܵ `group', ܊ `class' are also used like
ܽ. But whereas ܽ, ܼ and ܵ are always
Plural, ܊ is Singular.
- Rules for
the formation of Plural may be summarized thus:
- Rules for
the formation of Plural may be summarized thus:
- Other Masc.
Nouns do not change: ܣ-ܣ.
- Feminine-
, or Nouns have : ܹ-ܹܡ, -š,
ܺ-ܺ
- Other Feminine
Nouns have : -ܽ, -܇ , ܻ-ܺ.
(a) Masculine
Nouns signifying duration attach the special ending-ܽ for
denoting a large but indefinite Number : ܣ `year' ܣܽ
`several years'; `month' `several months'. This ܽ
is really a numerical ending . See 92and 156.
Nouns denoting
measure, weight etc. similarly attach ܽ for expressing
a large but indefinite quantity: ܛܽ `maunds and
maunds of grain'; ܽ ť `heaps and heaps of fruits';
ܹܽ ܈ `cartloads of firewood', etc. ܛܽ,
etc. are in such cases, used as Adjectives (156) See also
93 and 145-b.
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