English plural question, jewelry in Hindi, and looking for book recs

[shanrina]

1) Background: I just started a job as a K-12 tutor, and some of the kids I teach are unaware of some of the basics of grammar so I've been going over some of it. I came across something in a grammar/writing book that surprised me: the plural of buffalo. I'm a native speaker (American English), and I've always heard and said "buffalo" for more than

Comments

[maryxmas]

I suppose there may not that many efforts to promote use of Sanskrit in the first place.
the brahmins use it anyway and everybody esle is not supposed to.

[shanrina]

What about orgs like Samskrita Bharati? Or do most people not really pay attention to them?

[maryxmas]

you know, I have never been there myself, so I cannot tell -- it's just I met a couple of brahmins a while ago who came to Ukraine to participate in the Indian culture festival.
why don't you check the scholarly journals through your university library about this issue?

[krasota]

I would say buffalo whether there are one or twenty. Well, I'd probably say bison, but . . . y'know.

I grew up in Indiana.

[verrucaria]

Well, I'd probably say bison

Good point.

[shanrina]

Thanks!

[verrucaria]

1) Buffalo (pl.) sounds the "most correct" to me.

[not a native speaker; longtime resident of Massachusetts]

[shanrina]

Thanks!

[pynkbyrd]

Agreed with everyone who said buffalo, either singular or plural. Same thing with deer (deers is just like nails on a chalkboard!) and fish. Long Island, New York.

[shanrina]

Thanks!

Northern California

[xolostforeverox]

Buffalo, and we actually have them here! But water buffalo sounds better as buffalo(e)s. Then again, its quite late.

Re: Northern California

[shanrina]

We don't have them here so the word "buffalo" doesn't exactly come up in conversation much in the first place, lol. I'm not sure how I feel about water buffalo because it comes up even less frequently than buffalo does. Thanks!