What Is A Double Plural?

In English and other languages, most nouns follow a regular pattern for making plurals: adding an -s or -es to the singular form. However, there are some instances where a noun undergoes a process called a double plural, where more than one plural marker is used. While double plurals are not common in modern English, they can be found in older forms of the language, borrowed words, and specific irregular nouns.

In this article, we will explore what a double plural is, how it occurs, and provide examples of both historical and contemporary uses. We’ll also look at how double plurals can sometimes lead to confusion in language learning and usage.

Table of Contents

A double plural occurs when a noun is marked with two plural indicators—either through suffixes or changes to the word—that result in a form that appears to be pluralized twice. This phenomenon is relatively rare in modern English but can be seen in some irregular nouns, borrowed words, and historical language structures.

In most cases, the first plural marker is part of the noun’s original form, often from a foreign language, and the second plural marker is added according to English pluralization rules.

Key Points:

Double plural results from the application of more than one plural form to a noun.
It often occurs with words borrowed from other languages that have their own pluralization rules.

Most double plurals are irregular and don’t follow the standard -s or -es English plural pattern.

Examples of Double Plurals

Let’s explore some examples of double plurals in English, along with explanations of how they developed.

1. Children

The word children is perhaps the most well-known example of a double plural. It comes from the Old English word cild, which had an irregular plural form cildru or cildra. Over time, English speakers added the -en suffix, which was historically used to form plurals in Old and Middle English (as in oxen). The result is the modern plural children, which includes both the original plural marker -r (from cildra) and the later plural marker -en.

Singular: child
Plural: children (double plural: cild + -en)

2. Brethren

Another example is brethren, the plural form of brother in a religious or formal context. The word originally had an irregular plural form, brether, used in Old and Middle English. To this, the -en plural suffix was added, resulting in brethren.

Singular: brother
Plural: brethren (double plural: brether + -en)

Note that in modern English, the regular plural brothers is used for most contexts, while brethren is reserved for specific religious or formal uses.

3. Kine

An archaic example is the word kine, which is an old plural form of cow. In Old English, the word for cow was cū, and the plural was cy (with a change in the vowel sound). Later, the -en suffix was added to form kine. While kine is rarely used today, it serves as another historical example of a double plural.

Singular: cow
Plural: kine (double plural: cy + -en)

Double Plurals in Borrowed Words

Double plurals often occur in borrowed words from other languages, especially when English speakers apply regular pluralization rules to words that already have a plural form in their original language.

1. Cactus → Cacti → Cactuses

The word cactus comes from Latin, where its plural form is cacti. However, in everyday English usage, some speakers add the regular English plural marker -es to the Latin plural form, resulting in cactuses (a double plural). This creates a form that appears to be pluralized twice, although cactuses is commonly accepted in modern English alongside cacti.

Singular: cactus

Plural: cacti (Latin plural) or cactuses (double plural: cacti + -es)

2. Octopus → Octopodes → Octopuses

The word octopus comes from Greek, where the plural is octopodes. However, in English, the plural octopuses is often used, which applies the regular -es plural marker to the singular form. Some people mistakenly use octopi as a plural, influenced by Latin rules, even though it’s technically incorrect. While octopuses is the correct English plural, it can be seen as an example of a double plural when applying English rules to a word with foreign origins.

Singular: octopus

Plural: octopuses (double plural: octopus + -es)

3. Bacterium → Bacteria → Bacterias

The word bacterium comes from Latin, where the plural is bacteria. In casual English, some people incorrectly add the plural marker -s to the already plural form, resulting in bacterias. While bacterias is grammatically incorrect, it demonstrates how double plurals can occur when speakers are unfamiliar with foreign plural forms.

Singular: bacterium

Plural: bacteria (Latin plural) or bacterias (double plural: bacteria + -s)

Why Do Double Plurals Happen?

Double plurals tend to occur for several reasons:

1. Language Borrowing and Influence

English is a language that has borrowed extensively from other languages, including Latin, Greek, Old English, and French. Many of these languages have their own rules for forming plurals, and when these words are borrowed into English, some of their original plural forms remain. However, native English speakers often apply the familiar -s or -es plural markers, resulting in double plurals.

2. Language Evolution

Over time, the way plurals are formed in English has changed. In Old English, for instance, the -en suffix was used more widely to form plurals (as in oxen and children). As the language evolved, the -s or -es plural became the norm, but remnants of the older plural forms still exist. When speakers add the newer plural endings to words that already have an older plural form, double plurals are created.

3. Misunderstanding of Foreign Plurals

When English speakers encounter words from other languages that already have irregular plurals, they may not realize that the word is already plural. As a result, they may add the regular English plural marker, creating a double plural. This is common with Latin and Greek words like cactus and octopus, where the foreign plural forms (cacti, octopodes) are often unfamiliar to English speakers.

Conclusion

A double plural occurs when a noun is pluralized twice, either through historical language changes or the application of English plural rules to foreign words. While double plurals are relatively rare in modern English, they can still be found in irregular nouns such as children or borrowed words like cacti and octopuses.

Understanding double plurals can help clarify some of the irregularities in English grammar and provide insight into how languages evolve over time. While they may seem confusing or unusual, double plurals offer a glimpse into the complex history of the English language and its interactions with other languages.

What Is A Double Plural?