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Ask for help > Dwarves or Dwarfs?
Dwarves or Dwarfs?
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Pretty3
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Dwarves or Dwarfs?
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Hi,
can you tell me what the plural is of Dwarf?
Is it Dwarves or Dwarfs??????
In the dictionary , I saw both.
Which one is used more??
Best Regards,
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13 Feb 2011
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moravc
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both are correct.
dwarves - sounds more "bookish", proper and British
dwarfs - sounds more slangish and American
:-D
Any native speakers around to help Pretty3?
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13 Feb 2011
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dturner
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I think because of the influence of Snow White, we tend to use dwarfs in the West. However, every time I write that word I have to stop and think. And sometimes, cringe.
dt
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13 Feb 2011
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almaz
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Yes, both are acceptable (check any halfway decent dictionary, but dwarfs definitely gets more Google hits)). Remember, too, that �dwarf � is also a verb (to make something seem smaller by comparison). Apparently, the verbal inflections mirror the nominal inflections nowadays, so you might bump into both dwarfs and dwarves * as 3rd person singular of the verb to dwarf even though you �d expect only the first form.
*For example, a recent report in the Telegraph notes: By comparison, B�rdarbunga dwarves the Eyjafjallaj�kull volcano, which shut down most of Europe �s airspace last year after its ash cloud drifted across the continent �s skies.
PS I �ve heard of some people blaming JRR Tolkien for introducing dwarves as a plural. If it �s of any interest, Terry Pratchett �s Discworld has attempted to restore the balance with dwarfs! |
13 Feb 2011
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