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-spul
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The productive suffixoid-spul derives neuter nouns from nouns. The noun to which the suffix is related is spul things, matters. There is a strong relationship with the suffix -guod. An example of a derivation ending in -spul is iten food > itensspul food, eatables. The derivations always have a more or less collective element in them.

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[+]General properties

Nouns ending in the suffix -spul have a nominal base. The derivations have neuter gender. The table below shows some examples:

Table 1
Base form Derivation
iten food itensspul food, eatables
blêd leaf blêdspul collection of leafs
bôle bread bôlespul all kinds of bread
fleis meat fleisspul small pieces of all kinds of meat
klean clothes kleanspul clothes
term intestine termspul intestinal tract
tûke branch tûkespul collection of branches

The derivations have a collective element, referring to the whole of leafs, clothes, etcetera. Sometimes there is a negative connotation, which can be found in more collectivizing suffixes (see the section on other suffixes that form collective nouns below).

-Spul is a suffixoid: as a suffix, it grammaticalized from the noun spul things, matters. It also kept the gender of that noun, which is neuter. The word tûke branch, for instance, is common, whereas tûkespul collection of branches is a neuter word.

[+]Other suffixes that form collective nouns

-Spul is not the only suffix that forms collective nouns. Comparable suffixes are:

  • -boel: hok shed > hokkeboel sheds;
  • -brol: papier paper > papierbrol papers;
  • -brot: krant newspaper > krantebrot newspapers;
  • -dom: minsk human > minskdom humanity;
  • -emint: kaak jaw > kakemint the lower and upper jaw;
  • -guod: fûgel bird > fûgelguod birds;
  • -heid: minsk human being > minskheid humanity;
  • -wurk: skonk leg > skonkwurk legs.

References
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