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Rarities
What seems unusual often reveals an assumption in our analysis. Use “rare” only relative to a specified sample and definition. A language is not a puzzle because its grammar differs from English.
Rarities
The familiar is not universal
An English-speaking learner may expect a plural suffix, subject-first sentence and unmarked source of information. Other languages organize these domains differently. WALS describes Ngiti plural tone and Hixkaryana object–verb–subject order under specific criteria. Such patterns are ordinary grammar for their speakers, not irregularities that need translation into an English template.
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A reading check
Worked question
A language lacks a plural suffix in the examples you have. Does it lack plural marking?
Show the analysis
Not necessarily. Look for prefixes, reduplication, tone, separate words, stem changes, optional marking, or a gap in the corpus.