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A few Chlouvānem nouns have irregular plurals: | A few Chlouvānem nouns have irregular plurals: | ||
* The word ''chlǣvānem'' itself is plural-only (like all ethnonyms) and irregular; direct and vocative are in ''-em'', but all other cases decline as a standard plural 1h noun (e.g. accusative ''chlǣvānānu'', ergative ''chlǣvānān'', genitive ''chlǣvānumi''); | * The word ''chlǣvānem'' itself is plural-only (like all ethnonyms) and irregular; direct and vocative are in ''-em'', but all other cases decline as a standard plural 1h noun (e.g. accusative ''chlǣvānānu'', ergative ''chlǣvānān'', genitive ''chlǣvānumi''); | ||
* ''maila'' “water” does not have a dual form outside of colloquial use (where ''mailāt'' is used with the meaning of “two glasses of water”) and has the irregular plural '' | * ''maila'' “water” does not have a dual form outside of colloquial use (where ''mailāt'' is used with the meaning of “two glasses of water”) and has the irregular plural ''mailtvaha'', declined as a ''singular'' 1h noun. This plural form is actually common, used when talking about bodies of water in an area, water layers, glasses of water, and a few minor idiomatic uses (e.g. ''taili mailtvahe hilælulke'', lit. “to arrive by crossing many waters”, meaning “to have had much experience”).<br/>The ''-tvaha'' semantic plural is also used for the word ''damītah'' when used for "petals" (''damītvaha''; the meaning of "nails" has the regular plural ''damītai''), and ''lairē'' (''lairtvaha'', which does not mean "skies" but "galaxy"). | ||
* ''resan'' "pig" has an irregular plural, ''ryasan'', with vowel change. | * ''resan'' "pig" has an irregular plural, ''ryasan'', with vowel change. | ||
* ''ås'' "ford, crossing of a small river" has the stem ''av-'' in all pre-vocalic forms (e.g. plural ''ave''). | * ''ås'' "ford, crossing of a small river" has the stem ''av-'' in all pre-vocalic forms (e.g. plural ''ave''). |
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