>>>>> "Karl" == Karl Dietz <Karl.Dietz@triplan.com> writes:

Karl> BTW: What sources state that a plural is formed by appending "'s" to
Karl>      some word? IMHO they are completely wrong in any english
Karl>      dialect.

I don't know for sure where people learn this, but I wish whomever is
teaching it would *STOP*.  Apostrophes have no place in plural English nouns.

I heard one possible explanation for the origin of it:  the "grocer's plural."
The story is that grocers used to write up specials/notes on small
boards at their food stands.  Space being at a premium, they used
abbreviations using apostrophes.  So "tomatoes" might be written
"tomat's".
Too bad this gets misinterpreted as a spelling of plural nouns.

-- 
==John Kohl <jtk@kolvir.arlington.ma.us>, <john_kohl@alum.mit.edu>
Home page: <http://people.ne.mediaone.net/jtk/>
Bicycling and Skiing to keep fit.