Page:A grammar of the Teloogoo language.djvu/118

 52 TELOOUOO GRAMMAR. an ass. Do"S a large metal pot. a window, a creeping plant. S3 13 a small village. a spear, or pike. a box, a chest, a table. Sp the body-

IRREGULAR PLURALS OF THE THIRD DECLENSION.

Many nouns ending in &, ^, ^, |?, <&, or &, which are regular both in the singular and plural, frequently drop the <> of the penultimate syllable in the plural number: thus, ^Sft &3 a person of the Comtee cast, makes the nom. plu. S^SfckweX) or ir'afo^; and if a double consonant precede the "b thus dropped, it is reduced to a single consonant in the nominative plural ; thus, "^ ^ a tree, "S^ex) or "^^f trees, wj? a bottle, nom. plu. ax>gbex> O r ^Jo bottles. ^o<2& an eqq, nom. plu. fto5bex> or ^o&> eqqs &c IAS 6s> ro V9

Some nouns in & or 2&, regular in both numbers, forn> also an irregular plural, by changing the & or #o of the nominative singular into & ; thus, nom. sing. fr>& powder, regular nom. plu. c^Sfcex), irregular nom. i Arti j^C** plu. s^^y. A Or>

All nouns in this declension ending in &,, which have the letter C or o immediately preceding these terminations, besides the regular plural, may have two irregular forms, viz. by changing the & or ^ of the nominative singular into either <*&> or w - } thus, nora. sing. fc)OGc a carriage, nom. plu. ajoSfcex), irregular nom. plu. 8>oJfo or a)oyo. fir fv>

Many nouns having the termination of the nominative singular in ^ or ?^, in addition to the regular plural, form an irregular one in the manner mentioned in rule 184 ; thus, ~*>x>'& & an alligator ,makes in the nom. plu. either "S>^ ex>ex> or "sfco^W but nouns of two short syllables ending in or ex) have the regular plural only, e)) a tiqer, makes ^)ex>ex> tiqers, never ^)&. C*i /' v * */ **^ Or)

The noun "*> o<*sO marriage, makes in the nom. plu. "H>o?sX) marriages*

Some nouns, having the nominative singular in &>, change that syllable in the nom. plu. into C&ew. thus, "?& a tank, nora, plu. ^;coex> ; others