English language question...

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What's the plural of fish?
Me and my mate have been debating it at work and neither willing to concede ground.
I say it's 'fish' and he says it's 'fishes'. Hm...+

 

fish for many of a kind fish
fishes for many kinds of fish

 

Either, though fish is technically for singular and plural (according to my dictionary). It's like moose, elk, marlin and deer.

If there are more than one kind of fish (goldfish, angelfish and perch) in one place (like a fish tank), then they are fishes. It's like people (for one kind like white people) and peoples (for when whites, blacks and browns are in the same place).

 

In many European languages, you refer to a (number of animals of a) species in singular. The same way as you speak of the population or size or mating habits of the bald eagle, let's say, you can say there is a lot of it on a given area, for example. Same way sometimes it's even singular with a plural numeral, like two fish, although English is the only language to have it, so far as I know. In very informal spoken English, fishes isn't so bad. The more formal it is, the more pressure towards fish for plural, I think.

 

Both.

Though I think fish sounds better when you use the word in the generic sense. (I like fish. He's good at drawing fish. etc.)

Edit: yes, master chev.

[ February 27, 2006, 19:37: Message edited by: Uytuun ]

 

Yes and the generic sense doesn't even technically have to be plural in that context because singular also meets the goal. At least if we're talking about animals or plants. Think of wheat, for example. Also, in other languages, that's simply singular. Not just a plural form which looks exactly like the singular one. However, when you talk about two fish, it can't really be considered true singular anymore. Well, English is weird.

 

Fish for undetermined plural (ex: lets go catch some fish), fishes for determined plural (ex: you mean those fishes over there?)

 

this is a quote from Chevalier:In many European languages, you refer to a (number of animals of a) species in singular. The same way as you speak of the population or size or mating habits of the bald eagle, let's say, you can say there is a lot of it on a given area, for example. Same way sometimes it's even singular with a plural numeral, like two fish, although English is the only language to have it, so far as I know. In very informal spoken English, fishes isn't so bad. The more formal it is, the more pressure towards fish for plural, I think.


just to say that it is the same in danish, with the two fish n stuff

 

I agree with the general direction of the previous comments. It's almost always "fish" unless you are talking about different species.