What Is The Plural Of Currencies?

[007]

What I always wanted to know, but never dared to ask: what is the plural of Asian currencies? We all know dollars, pounds, euros, francs, guilders, (defunct?), pesos... But how about the plural of baht, satang, yen, ringgit, rupee, kip, riel, etc.??

[PeaceBlondie]

I have a general rule about foreign loanwords. If we are writing English language in Roman characters, but using a foreign phrase like baht or nakrian, it is spelled and pronounced as it would be in the original language. Thais don't say three bahts or 49 nakrians. Half of two criteria is one criterion. You cannot experience two deja vus, or two dejas vu.

[PhilHarries]

There are no plurals in the Thai language so, for me, it's one Baht, ten Baht, one hundred Baht etc.

Don't know about the other currencies although, I believe, they do say Rupees (and Kips?).

Here we don't get a beer for six thousand Dongs.

[ashacat]

Depends on the currency.

Baht never has an "s"

Edited November 8, 2007 by ashacat

[007]

There are no plurals in the Thai language so, for me, it's one Baht, ten Baht, one hundred Baht etc.

Don't know about the other currencies although, I believe, they do say Rupees (and Kips?).

Here we don't get a beer for six thousand Dongs.

Fair point, PhilHarries. And I even learned today that both, Hindi and Vietnamese have plural nouns...

I guess then, that it is 2 Kip, not Kips, as Laotian grammar is pretty similar to its Thai counterpart.

But how about if you're in doubt and don't know the 'countries' (ahem, language's) grammar? Do like PeaceBlondie and say '1 rupee, 2 rupee...'?

[withnail]

From the COED:

baht n noun (plural same) the basic monetary unit of Thailand, equal to 100 satangs.

[rixalex]

When my mum comes out here she drives me crazy with her "i bought a lovely .... for ... bahts" or "ooo, look at that ... and for only ... bahts". If i've told her once, i've told her a hundred times

[PeaceBlondie]

From the COED:

baht n noun (plural same) the basic monetary unit of Thailand, equal to 100 satangs.

The baht (singular) is equal to 100 satangs (plural)?

[dr_Pat_Pong]

When my mum comes out here she drives me crazy with her "i bought a lovely .... for ... bahts" or "ooo, look at that ... and for only ... bahts". If i've told her once, i've told her a hundred times

or thereabouts.

[PhilHarries]

Interesting point raised here. If we revert to western currencies we encounter some anomalies. For example we would refer to a ten pound shirt but if we asked the price we'd be told ten pounds. It's the same with weights, a seven pound baby weighs seven pounds (3.176 kilogrammes for the metrically inclined).

Maybe it's something subtle in the English grammar. I have to own up to being a complete klutz when it comes to grammar, I didn't realise how little I knew about my own language until I learnt Spanish.

As for the Vietnamese they don't add an 's' to Dong so it's 20,000 Dong, or to put it more correctly 20 Dong (hai muoi) as they drop the 000's (ngin) for brevity's sake.

[PeaceBlondie]

Americans think that even a four pound shirt is too heavy.

[Nataraja]

Interesting point raised here. If we revert to western currencies we encounter some anomalies. For example we would refer to a ten pound shirt but if we asked the price we'd be told ten pounds. It's the same with weights, a seven pound baby weighs seven pounds (3.176 kilogrammes for the metrically inclined).

Maybe it's something subtle in the English grammar. I have to own up to being a complete klutz when it comes to grammar, I didn't realise how little I knew about my own language until I learnt Spanish.

As for the Vietnamese they don't add an 's' to Dong so it's 20,000 Dong, or to put it more correctly 20 Dong (hai muoi) as they drop the 000's (ngin) for brevity's sake.

Number expressions have no -s when they are used as adjectives.

[007]

From the COED:

baht n noun (plural same) the basic monetary unit of Thailand, equal to 100 satangs.

Interesting! I wasn't aware of the fact that it is 'satangs', even after being in and out of here for the last ten years. But then again, I rarely buy things for less than a baht...

Edited November 10, 2007 by 7

[spectrum]

Just speculating, but isn't gold measured in baht ? If that is the origin of the term for the money, it might be similar to (UK Eng) "14 pounds = 1 stone" ; the gold is 2 baht/stone or XX satangs/pounds.

US English does use "stones".

[wangsuda]

Just speculating, but isn't gold measured in baht ?

Yes it is. One baht of gold is 15.2 grams. It is then broken down into salung (or satang) A half-baht of gold (7.6 grams) is called "song salung" or "ha-sip satang." One salung (or 25 satang) is 3.8 grams. The best Thai gold is said to come from Yawarat. If your gold has a Yawarat stamp, it will fetch the highest prices. Thai gold is also 23 karat (96.5%) pure.

[richard10365]

I think the word "baht" is one of them words thats singular and plural. Kinda like snow or rain. (but I guess you could say "the rains are coming") The only time you speak it with an "s" sound on the end is when your contracting it with "is" or talking about another fact that is related to the baht.

For example, the baht is falling against the dollar (in my dreams), can also be "the baht's falling against the dollar. Contracting "baht" and "is".

Example 2, the baht's chances of rising against the dollar is pretty good. The baht and chances are directly related. I'm not an English teacher so I forget the correct word to describe what "chances" is in that sentence. I think an adverb or something like that.

[withnail]

The two quotes from the COED:

baht

n noun (plural same) the basic monetary unit of Thailand, equal to 100 satangs.

ORIGIN

from Thai bat.

satang

n noun (plural same or satangs) a monetary unit of Thailand, equal to one hundredth of a baht.

ORIGIN

Thai, from Pali sata 'hundred'

Work that out?? I'm pretty sure I've seen Baht in another dictionary explained as being both Baht and Bahts in it's plural form. I guess currencies are often discussed far away from the country that they originate from and if everyone there uses the 'incorrect' plural form it would then become correct in that language. That's English for you.

[PeaceBlondie]

As withnail says, that's English for you. However, when using foreign loanwords, even though I'm writing English, I prefer to retain the foreign style. Only in my novel, where the guy has never lived in Thailand, does anybody say "bahts." It's like saying there is a criteria, or one data. If the Thais never say bahts or satangs, I won't either. It's not a matter of noncountable nouns, because baht and satang can be counted.

[TonyLeung]

i think baht is plural (no s)