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Collective nouns
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Collective nouns like container nouns organise individual elements in a larger whole. Collective nouns, unlike container nouns, do not require an object for integration into a larger whole. This integration in a larger whole is the result of a natural process.

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Prototypical collective nouns are the noun samling collection and the noun espeltsje group:

1
a. In samling gongbere puzelwurden
a collection current puzzle.words
A collection of current puzzle words
b. In espeltsje bern
a group children
A group of children

The two nouns can be joined by the preposition fan of:

2
a. In samling fan gongbere puzelwurden
a collection of current puzzle.words
A collection of current puzzle words
b. In espeltsje fan heabroeimakkers
a group of hay.burn.makers
A group of people causing hay heating

The content noun can only be questioned in case the preposition is present, as shown by the minimal pair below:

3
a. Wêr hat hy in samling fan?
what.R has he a collection of
What does he have a collection of?
b. *Wêr hat hy in samling?
what.R has he a collection
Lit: What does he have a collection (of)?
c. *Wat hat hy in samling?
what has he a collection
Lit: What does he have a collection (of)?

Many collective nouns refer to specific living beings, such as the noun flecht flock. This word can only refer to flying animals:

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In flecht guozzen
a flock geese
A flock of geese

Such nouns are not attested with a linking preposition in case the construction is unexpanded:

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?In flecht fan guozzen
a flock of geese
A flock of geese

In case the construction is expanded, a linking preposition may be attested, especially in elevated language use such as encountered in poetry, as in the example below:

6
Dat dit ús fuortgean neitiid de forheven flecht fan fûgels fine mei
that this our leaving afterwards the lofty flight of birds find may
That this our leaving may afterwards find the lofty flight of birds

References
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