Plurals of Plurals

Level 4

The 'Plural of Plurals' (جمع الجمع) is a literary feature used to express an even greater number than a standard plural, or to elevate the status and variety of the group being described.

How It Works

The Plural of Plurals serves three main functions:

  • Hyper-pluralization: Indicating a vast, often uncountable number (e.g., 'many many houses').
  • Distinction and Eminence: Elevating the quality of the group (e.g., 'men of state' vs. just 'men').
  • Variety: Suggesting different types or categories within the plural group (e.g., 'various kinds of rumors').

Morphologically, it usually occurs in two ways:
1. Suffixation: Adding the Sound Feminine Plural ending (-āt) to a broken plural. For example, buyūt (houses) becomes buyūtāt (noble lineages/great households).
2. Internal Change: Applying a new broken plural pattern to an existing one. For example, qawl (saying) → aqwāl (sayings) → aqāwīl (various rumors).

Do not treat this as an endlessly repeatable operation: lexical history and the intended distinction determine which forms are useful. Furthermore, while these forms often follow the patterns of the Ultimate Plural (Diptotes), they are a distinct semantic category.

A Less Common Suffix: Human masculine forms can also take ـون / ـين. A traditional example is أَفَاضِل → أَفَاضِلُونَ (nominative), أَفَاضِلِينَ (accusative/genitive). This belongs to learned morphology and is much less ordinary than the base plural. The shape of the extra plural ending does not by itself change the people referred to into grammatical females.

Examples (4)

  1. كان من أبرز رجالات الدولة في عصره.

    He was among the most prominent statesmen of his era.

    Word by Word: He was from most prominent men-of-distinction the state in era-his.

    Here, 'rijālāt' is the plural of 'rijāl' (men). It specifically denotes men of high status or 'statesmen' rather than just a group of males.

  2. تعددت الأقاويل حول أسباب استقالته.

    Rumors multiplied regarding the reasons for his resignation.

    Word by Word: Multiplied the various-sayings around reasons resignation-his.

    'Aqāwīl' is the plural of 'aqwāl' (sayings). It implies a variety of different claims or rumors circulating.

  3. هذه العائلات تنتمي إلى بيوتات عريقة.

    These families belong to ancient lineages.

    Word by Word: These the-families belong to households ancient.

    'Buyūtāt' is the plural of 'buyūt' (houses). In this context, it refers to noble families or lineages rather than physical buildings.

  4. قدمت له الدولة أيادٍ بيضاء.

    The state extended to him great favors.

    Word by Word: Offered to him the-state hands white.

    'Ayādin' is a plural of 'aydin' (hands). Metaphorically, it refers to multiple acts of generosity or favors.

Common Mistakes

  • Attempting to create new 'plural of plural' forms by adding -āt to any broken plural.

    كتبات (kutubāt)
    كتب (kutub)

    Use كُتُب for ordinary books; adding an extra plural ending is not a general intensifier. Some analogical plurals of plurals are justified by a distinct group/kind meaning, so consult usage and the intended sense rather than applying a blanket prohibition.

  • Assuming that an ـات ending always requires a feminine singular adjective.

    رِجَالَاتُ الدَّوْلَةِ العَظِيمَةُ
    رِجَالَاتُ الدَّوْلَةِ العُظَمَاءُ

    For the intended “great statesmen,” العظماء describes the human men. العظيمة would naturally describe الدولة, “the great state,” so it expresses a different attachment. Human masculine agreement is possible; it is not ruled out by رجالات ending in ات.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Plurals of PluralsLevel 4

Learn This First

To understand the 'plural of a plural' (Jam' al-Jam'), a learner must first be comfortable with the standard ways Arabic nouns become plural. This includes recognizing broken plurals (Jam' al-Taksir), which often serve as the base for this pattern, and the regular feminine plural ending (-at), which is frequently used to create the second layer of plurality.