[NatureNS] question re plurals of bird names?? (from nitpicker Jim)

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Date: Thu, 6 Nov 2014 17:30:16 -0500
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Very interesting. I was raised in Lincolnshire, the ancestral  home of the=
=20
"poachers". The use of the plural was very specific there and the  natives=
=20
have been poaching since the time of the Romans. We would use the plural=
  if=20
the term was generic. "I shot two pigeons" or "I shot two rabbits" when it=
 =20
was specific we would say "I shot two snipe", "I shot two mallard" but you=
=20
would  say "I shot two ducks". Can't say if that is a grammatical rule but=
 it=20
was what  we did and my family had been poaching there since the doomsday=
=20
book. Stow  Minster is the reputedly the largest and oldest church in Engl=
and=20
and dates from  the 9th century.
=20
Peter Stow
Hubbards
=20
=20
In a message dated 2014-11-06 5:57:18 P.M. Atlantic Standard Time, =20
jimwolford@eastlink.ca writes:

I have  just read Ken McKenna=E2=80=99s latest posting, as usual full of=
=20
interesting stuff,  but here is a question I have wanted to raise for some=
 time now =E2=80=94=20
and this  will bug some of you, who should sign off now=E2=80=A6.

In recent times, I have  grown tired of trying to know when to apply an =
=E2=80=9Cs=E2=80=9D
 to make a plural vs.  =E2=80=9Cknowing=E2=80=9D which species are best le=
ft alone when=20
forming plural numbers.   Especially problematic are =E2=80=9Csnipe=E2=80=
=9D vs. =E2=80=9Csnipes=E2=80=9D or=20
=E2=80=9Cwoodcock=E2=80=9D or =E2=80=9Cteal=E2=80=9D etc.  etc.  I with my=
 =E2=80=9Ccommon-sense=E2=80=9D rules of=20
grammar have decided to just  Anglicize all bird names by adding =E2=80=9C=
s=E2=80=9D or =E2=80=9Ces=E2=80=9D to=20
all of them, as some of you  have noted when I write =E2=80=9Cteals=E2=80=
=9D, e.g.

What say the rest of you? or does  anyone care?  Is this important to=20
anyone?

Cheers from Jim in  Wolfville.

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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
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<META name=3DGENERATOR content=3D"MSHTML 11.00.9600.17344"></HEAD>
<BODY id=3Drole_body style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; COLOR:=
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color=3D#000000 size=3D2 face=3DArial>
<DIV><FONT size=3D3>Very interesting. I was raised in Lincolnshire, the an=
cestral=20
home of the "poachers". The use of the plural was very specific there and=
 the=20
natives have been poaching since the time of the Romans. We would use the=
 plural=20
if the term was generic. "I shot two pigeons" or "I shot two rabbits" when=
 it=20
was specific we would say "I shot two snipe", "I shot two mallard" but you=
 would=20
say "I shot two ducks". Can't say if that is a grammatical rule but it was=
 what=20
we did and my family had been poaching there since the doomsday book. Stow=
=20
Minster is the reputedly the largest and oldest church in England and date=
s from=20
the 9th century.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D3></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D3>Peter Stow</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D3>Hubbards</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>In a message dated 2014-11-06 5:57:18 P.M. Atlantic Standard Time,=20
jimwolford@eastlink.ca writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"=
><FONT=20
  style=3D"BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=3D#000000 size=3D2 face=3D=
Arial>I have=20
  just read Ken McKenna=E2=80=99s latest posting, as usual full of interes=
ting stuff,=20
  but here is a question I have wanted to raise for some time now =E2=80=
=94 and this=20
  will bug some of you, who should sign off now=E2=80=A6.<BR><BR>In recent=
 times, I have=20
  grown tired of trying to know when to apply an =E2=80=9Cs=E2=80=9D to ma=
ke a plural vs.=20
  =E2=80=9Cknowing=E2=80=9D which species are best left alone when forming=
 plural numbers.&nbsp;=20
  Especially problematic are =E2=80=9Csnipe=E2=80=9D vs. =E2=80=9Csnipes=
=E2=80=9D or =E2=80=9Cwoodcock=E2=80=9D or =E2=80=9Cteal=E2=80=9D etc.=20
  etc.&nbsp; I with my =E2=80=9Ccommon-sense=E2=80=9D rules of grammar hav=
e decided to just=20
  Anglicize all bird names by adding =E2=80=9Cs=E2=80=9D or =E2=80=9Ces=E2=
=80=9D to all of them, as some of you=20
  have noted when I write =E2=80=9Cteals=E2=80=9D, e.g.<BR><BR>What say th=
e rest of you? or does=20
  anyone care?&nbsp; Is this important to anyone?<BR><BR>Cheers from Jim=
 in=20
  Wolfville.</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>
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