A brief history of plural word...s - John McWhorter

Summary

This script explores the peculiarities of the English language, highlighting its irregular plural forms and historical evolution. It explains that Old English had a more complex system with gendered inanimate objects and irregular plurals, which simplified due to the influence of the Vikings. The script humorously suggests that we should thank the Scandinavian ancestors for making English more straightforward, though it retains some oddities like 'children' and 'teeth'.

Takeaways

• 😅 English has irregular plurals that don't follow the standard 's' rule, like 'men' and 'geese'.
• 🔍 Old English was even more complex with numerous irregular plurals and gendered inanimate objects.
• 📚 English and German were the same language 2500 years ago but gradually diverged.
• 🧔 In early English, objects had genders, like 'gafol' (fork) being female and 'laefel' (spoon) being male.
• 👶 Children were better at language acquisition, which influenced the simplification of English by the Vikings.
• 🛡️ The Vikings simplified English by smoothing away complex plural forms, favoring the 's' ending.
• 💬 The influence of the Vikings on English led to the loss of many irregular plural forms and the adoption of more regular ones.
• 🏡 Old English had unique plural forms like 'house' remaining the same in singular and plural form.
• 🗣️ Some irregular plurals persisted, such as 'children' and 'teeth', due to frequent use and difficulty in changing habits.
• 🌐 The simplification of English by the Vikings made the language more accessible and easier to learn.
• 😉 The script humorously suggests imagining a week using the original complex plurals for a fun linguistic experiment.

Q & A

Why does the English language have irregular plural forms like 'men' and 'geese' instead of 'mans' and 'goose'?

The irregular plural forms in English are a remnant of Old English, where plurals were formed in various ways, not just by adding 's'. The simplification of plural forms to mostly 's' is largely due to the influence of the Vikings, who streamlined the language.

What was the linguistic relationship between English and German 2500 years ago?

English and German were the same language 2500 years ago, but they gradually drifted apart over time, developing into distinct languages with different grammatical structures and vocabularies.

How did the gender of inanimate objects in Old English affect the language?

In Old English, inanimate objects had genders such as masculine, feminine, and neuter. This required speakers to know not only the meaning of a word but also its gender, which influenced its form in various grammatical contexts.

What was the impact of the Viking invasions on the English language?

The Viking invasions in the 8th century had a significant impact on English, particularly in simplifying its grammar. The Vikings, who spoke Norse, smoothed away complex parts of English, including the irregular plural forms, leading to the more uniform 's' ending for plurals.

Why do we say 'books' instead of 'beek' for more than one book in modern English?

The word 'books' is used instead of 'beek' because of the influence of the Vikings, who preferred the 's' ending for plurals, making the language simpler and more consistent.

What did the Old English word 'gafol' represent and what was its gender?

The Old English word 'gafol' represented a 'fork' and was considered feminine in gender.

How did the Viking influence simplify the plural forms in English?

The Viking influence simplified the plural forms by reducing the variety of endings and promoting the use of the 's' ending for most plurals, making the language easier to learn and use.

What is an example of an Old English plural that was formed by adding a different sound to the end of the word?

An example of an Old English plural formed by adding a different sound is 'lambre' for 'lambs', as opposed to the modern English 'lambs'.

Why do we still have a few irregular plurals like 'children' and 'teeth' in modern English?

Irregular plurals like 'children' and 'teeth' have persisted in modern English because they are used so frequently that it was difficult to change the established usage habits, even after the Viking simplification of plurals.

What linguistic changes can be attributed to the intermarriage between Vikings and English women?

The intermarriage between Vikings and English women contributed to the widespread use of simplified English, as children growing up in England were exposed to both the original and the streamlined English, eventually leading to the loss of the original forms.

What is the humorous suggestion made in the script about changing our language usage for a week or two?

The script humorously suggests that it would be fun to change our language usage for a week or two by asking for 'a handful of pea-night' instead of 'peanuts', highlighting the oddities of English plurals.