Further to my previous entry on learning vocabulary, this one relates to a note that I'd made to learn more about Somali plurals.
I'd noticed that a couple of plural nouns in my memrise vocabulary list seemed to follow the same pattern of an "-o" ending, so looked into this over the last couple of days. One example:
albaab - door
albaabbo - doors
I often view learning a new language like tackling a puzzle! Indeed, perversely, it's this aspect of language learning that attracts me the most, far more than the social aspect.
In this way, my own curiosity is a great guide to follow. I'll spot patterns and strive to understand them so that I can apply them freely in new situations.
Curiosity did also kill the cat, though, and boy-oh-boy do I wish a little bit that I hadn't bothered unraveling this particular ball of string so soon!
I read through a couple of neat websites, some of the top hits in Google that, rather than being simple grammar guides, turned out to be LINGUISTIC ESSAYS
It seems that the "basic rule" is indeed...
"add o"
but there are also a shocking number of exceptions including...
"double the last consonant and add o" (after certain consonants)
"add yo" (after certain consonants)
"change the final consonant altogether and add o"
"lose a vowel and add o"
"repeat the last syllable"
"change nothing"
"add ooyin" (if the singular already ends in "o")
my notes on Somali plurals. Shortly after this my will to live diminished and anarchy overran the page.
As a beginner, this can be pretty daunting to tackle. I've coming across a lesser extreme with German previously and will be tacking Somali in much the same way. And that is to learn the plural form of the word along with each singular noun that I add to my repertoire and test both at the same time.
As someone who likes to analyse and understand, I do not agree with the school of thought that grammar is something that should be avoided when learning a new language. In this instance, though, I will aim to build up a sense of Somali's pattern and become comfortable with it through repetition.
That said, I could not have come to this decision and formed my "plan of attack" for Somali nouns without first researching this grammar rule. I'm hoping that over time I'll be able to revisit the linguistic essays above and better understand the grammar behind the rules....or better still, develop an instinct for the exceptions.
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