This article is concerned with plural marking in two English-lexified creoles, Jamaican Patwa and Tok Pisin. In addition to bare plurals, these creoles possess two overt strategies of plural marking—a free-standing morpheme and the suffix -s. The analytic and inflectional plural markers occur according to different linguistic constraints. It appears that the creoles use two conceptually and typologically different number marking systems — that of set noun languages, based on the opposition between singleton and collective sets, and that of singular object noun languages, based on the opposition between singular and plural individuals. This poses problems for the definition of the lexical semantics of the creole nouns if one assumes the existence of cross-linguistic differences. The analysis proposed here is based on the universalist approach to lexical semantics. Under this approach, individuated and collective (set) interpretations of plurals are encoded in the noun phrase structure.

Sheep breeding is a traditional activity in Peru for small farmers, who generally possess Creole animals, which are frequently ignored in public policies as well as by the scientific community, not being recognized as a breed, showing poor productivity and having crosses with exotic breeds. This study aimed to characterize Creole and Hampshire Down crossbred ewes phenotypically, for using in the conservation and improvement of the Peruvian creole sheep. The year 2012, in the rural municipality of Ite, southern coast of Peru, 200 adult ewes were evaluated, classified by possible genotype (Creole or crossbred) and farm type (wetlands or ranches). Morphological and morphometric measurements were analysed; indices were drawn up and canonical and discriminant analysis were conducted, using the statistical program R. The results showed crossbred ewes with greater meat-producing capacity than the Creole, both influenced by the environment, management, and racial miscegenation that threatens the native sheep conservation. The adaptation of flocks was seen in different conditions, but some traits must be improved, requiring adequate technical orientation and rural extension services.