Collective_number Collective_number

Collective number - Definition and Overview

Related Words: Coefficient, Collaborative, Collectivist, Collectivistic, Common, Communal, Communalist, Communist

In linguistics, collective number is a number referring to a set of things. Languages that have this feature can use it to get a phrase like 'flock of sheep' by using 'sheep' in collective number.

Some languages have collectives but no grammatical plural. For example, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean do not have plurals. However, groups of people can be referred to, either by context or periphrastically (i.e., with additional words or phrases).

An example from Japanese:

  • Tanaka-san; Tanaka-san-tachi
"Mr. Tanaka"; "Mr. Tanaka and his group

Example Usage of Collective

DanielSpracklin: What's the big deal with Animal Collective? Any fans?
preschoolkid: Preschool New post: Preschool Spanish | The Phase Collective (http://cli.gs/Jm8nN) kindergarten
AdotDubble: RT @blackeyedskeez: #twitteris like jail - different clicks posse'n up and flexing their Collective muscles to see who rules the playgro ...
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