Noun Pluralization

Question 1

What are the five forms of noun pluralization?

Answer 1

1. Pluralization with no change.
2. Pluralization with propretonic reduction
3. Segholate Nouns
4. Geminate Nouns
5. Irregular Nouns

Question 2

What happens with pluralization with no change in Masculine and Feminine nouns?

Answer 2

1. In masculine nouns the plural ending is simply added on.

2. In feminine nouns the feminine singular ending is replaced with the feminine plural ending.

Question 3

What are the three types of syllables counting from the end to the front of the noun.

Answer 3

1. tonic - last syllable
2. protonic - 2nd to the last syllable
3. propretonic - 3rd to the last syllable

Question 4

What is propretonic reduction?

Answer 4

Propretonic reduction occurs in 2 syllable nouns that are pluralized the third to the last syllable or first syllable reduce.
When the plural ending is added and a qamets or tsere is placed in an open, propretonic syllable, they are reduced to a vocal shewa.

In nouns that have an initial gutteral for a propretonic syllable the vocal shewa is refused and a Hateph Pathach is used.

Question 5

What is an exception to Propretonic reduction?

Answer 5

When the propretonic syllable contains a a vowel letter (long vowel), the noun will not experience propretonic reduction.

Question 6

What is a segholate noun?

Answer 6

1. All two syllable nouns that are accented on the first syllable.
2. Typically they have to segholate vowels, but not always.

Question 7

What is special about the pluralization of segholate nouns?

Answer 7

They always have the same vowel pattern in the plural.

Note: Vowel reduction limitations apply such as hateph pathach with gutterals.

Question 8

What is the normal pattern of a segholate pluralization?

Answer 8

1. Vocal shewa under the first consant

2. Qamets under the second consonant.

Question 9

What is a geminate noun?

Answer 9

It is a noun whose stem originally or sometimes still ends with two of the same consonant.

Question 10

How do geminate nouns pluralize?

Answer 10

The consonant that originally doubled does so in a geminate noun by adding a daghesh forte to the last consonant to the singular form along with the plural ending.

Question 11

What are common words that pluralize Irregularly?

Answer 11

Man, woman, city, father, house, daughter, son, day.