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    Singularia and pluralia tantum
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    A noun is a singulare tantum if it only has a singular form. A plurale tantum noun, by contrast, only appears in the plural form. Singularia tantum nouns typically occur in specific semantic classes. For example, proper names and material nouns often lack plurals. Depending on context, speakers can construct plural forms that are normally missing. Substituting absent singular forms, by contrast, is very unusual.

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    [+]Singularia tantum

    In Dutch, singularia tantum can be found in the following semantic classes:

    1
    a. Proper names
          Jan
          de Dordogne
          Maart March
          Nederlands Dutch
    b. Material nouns
          goud gold
          zand sand
          zeep soap
          rijst rice
          melk milk
    c. Abstract and collective nouns
          aandacht attention
          arbeid work
          genade grace
          kou cold
          letterkunde literary studies
          muziek music
          heelal universe
          hockey hockey
          have possessions
          nageslacht offspring
          kleding clothes
          politie police
          vee lifestock

    The availability of the plural correlates with the countability of a noun, which in turn correlates with the option to combine the noun with a numeral or the indefinite determiner, which is derived from the numeral één one(*een/ één goud a gold, *twee gouden two golds).

    [+]Pluralia tantum

    Pluralia tantum are harder to classify. They occur, for example, in the following semantic fields:

    2
    a. Proper names, especially geographical names
          de Tropen the tropics
          de Azoren the Azores
          de Alpen the Alps
          de Dolomieten the Dolomites
    b. Organs (of the body)
          hersenen brain
          ingewanden intestines, bowels
    c. Illness
          mazelen easles
          pokken smallpox
    d. Finance and business
          financiën finances
          (on)kosten costs
          paperassen papers, paperwork
          notulen minutes (notes at a meeting)
    e. Other
          letteren humanities
          medicijnen medicine (as a subject or profession)
          kapsones irs (as in 'putting on airs')
          troebelen troubles, riots
          personalia personal details
          watten cotton wool
          consorten confederates

    Some pluralia tantum only exist in particular expressions, such as:

    3
    aanstalten maken get ready to do sth.
    op de hurken zitten squat (on ones haunches / down), crouch (down), sit on ones heels)
    iemand bij de lurven pakken get / have someone by the short hairs
    iemand in de luren leggen outsmart somebody .

    Some nouns may be regarded as pluralia tantum despite having what is historically a corresponding singular. However, singular and plural may fail to match semantically. An example is kleren clothes, which cannot be singularized in a way that preserves its meaning. Its etymological singular kleed means carpet, rug, table cloth, or gown, robe, as well as dress or frock (the latter two are more common in Belgium than in the Netherlands). This particular case is especially interesting because kleed has another plural, kleden, which does match the singular in meaning ( carpets, rugs, gowns).

    References
      About this article
      Author(s): Jenny Audring
      Category: Dutch Morphology
      Keywords: number
      Version: 1.0, December 2015
      Version history:
      version editor(s) date remarks
      1.0 Jenny Audring December 2015
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