Datapoint Nicaraguan Creole English/Occurrence of nominal plural markers

There is less plural marking by means of dem than in San Andres Creole English and much more by means of -s/-z. Nevertheless, in a substantial number of cases, plurality has to be inferred from the context.

Values

Variable plural marking of human or inanimate nouns

Example 11-43:
Bot mai tiicha dei taak Inglish or Spanish.
Bot
but
mai
1sg.poss
tiicha
teacher
dei
3pl
taak
talk
Inglish
English
or
or
Spanish.
Spanish
But my teachers, they talk English or Spanish.

Source: nd

Example 11-44:
Som a di tiichaz dem don nou Inglish.
Som
some
a
of
di
art.def
tiicha-z
teacher-pl
dem
pl
don
neg
nou
know
Inglish.
English
Some of the teachers don’t know English.

Source: nd

Example 11-45:
di piknini dem
di
art.def
piknini
child
dem
pl
the children

Source: nd

Example 11-46:
Nou wi hav les torkl dan ada animal.
Nou
now
wi
1pl
hav
have
les
less
torkl
turtle
dan
than
ada
other
animal.
animal
Now we find less turtles than other animals.

Source: nd

Example 11-47:
Di muos praablem iz di drogz wid di yong man.
Di
art.def
muos
most
praablem
problem
iz
cop.prs
di
art.def
drog-z
drug-pl
wid
with
di
art.def
yong
young
man.
man
For young men, the biggest problem are the drugs.

Source: nd

Example 11-48:
Deh get som plaans fram FADCANIC laik ariinj, kokanat an ada ting.
Deh
3pl
get
get
som
some
plaan-s
plant-pl
fram
from
FADCANIC
FADCANIC
laik
like
ariinj,
orange
kokanat
coconut
an
and
ada
other
ting.
thing
They get some plants from the FADCANIC like orange and coconut trees and other things.

Source: nd

Confidence:
Very certain