To pluralize a word in Spanish you either add an '-s' or an '-es', an 'es' being necessary when the noun ends in a consonant. In Costa Rica I have heard the double plural for 'papases', with an '-s-es' ending.
In this context there is a possible reasonable explanation: If the regular plural form 'papás' refers to one set of parents, 'papases' could conceivably refer to a group of parents.
Regardless of the merits of this armchair etymology, the double plural appears to extend to other nouns whose last syllable is the tonic syllable. For example, I have heard 'mamases' and 'bebeses' (coming from 'bebé'), which contain the double plural, but cannot be rationalized as a group of plural elements.
Double plurals have arisen in other languages, but they usually occur when the former plural suffix becomes improductive. In Spanish, the '-s' and '-es' suffixes are entirely valid standing alone to pluralize their respective nouns, so I don't recommend using the double plural form. But it's sure fun to listen to :)
5 comments:
As far as I know, we do not have "papases" "mamases" or "bebeses" in Spain, but we do have "pieses" as an archaic, dialectal, rural or vulgar form for "pies" (feet).
That's interesting. 'Pie' also ends with a tonic vowel. The only difference between it and the other examples is that it's a monosyllabic word. I haven't heard it before, but I'm not surprised that you have.
Thanks for your input!
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