Along with the recent rash of proper pronoun protocols, I've allowed myself to become bothered by folks who refer to their driver's license in plural form. I'm uncertain however if this is a national phenomenon or some banjo-assed colloquial bullshit unique to my region. My PA driver's license is a single document, or rather a single card. Why then do some people refer to their driver's license as them? "TJ lost his license for six months on a DUI but he gets them back in June." If any of you are more fluent in the Western PA Appalachian dialect, please feel free to elaborate.

Probably an amalgamation of two concepts.

A "driver's license" is singular. So the correct phrase could be: "TJ lost his driver's license for six months, but he gets it back in June".

However, often used interchangeably in this situation is the term "driving privileges", which is plural. So a correct phrase could be: "TJ lost his driving privileges for six months, but he gets them back in June".


Then smash those two phrases together, and you get your example.

I too hear this among certain demographics.

I surmise their interpretation is plural based on the erroneous use of licent as the singular. As in licent plate.

Well maybe TJ has they/them as his pronouns. If so, he'd obviously need the licenses (plural) returned.

There is also the possibility that there are multiple endorsements that allow the driver to be licensed on multi vehicles...my license has an endorsement for a motorcycle, so technically its a single license but enables me to operate multiple types of vehicles, and therefore I wouldn't find it strange for someone to refer to it as "licenses".

quote:

Do you refer to your driver's license in plural form?

What?? No! What the hell is wrong with some people...

I didn't even do this when I had a CDL with endorsements. It was A license.

Ijits! Ijits everyware!

No but I have been guilty of saying VIN number……and I hate myself a little more each time.

Each license is issued to an individual, hence driver's (singular) license.

Typically, a speaker of the King's English would speak of their own license as "my driving license."

A speaker of the 'King's English' would actually call it 'my driver's licence', since that is the common UK spelling.

quote:

Originally posted by cslinger:
No but I have been guilty of saying VIN number……and I hate myself a little more each time.

Vin or vin number . License or licenses .Clip or magazine . Does it really matter ? Is it that important ?

Never heard of it, nor has it ever occurred to me, until I opened this thread. But I'm not from, nor have even been to, let alone lived in, Western PA Appalachia, either. (A little farther south.)

Different areas of the country do have their grammatical and pronunciation quirks. A couple here or very near: "Chevrolet" with the accent on the first syllable ("CHEV-ro-lay" instead of "Chev-ro-LAY); New Bern, NC pronounced as a single word.

Now my head hurts.
Or should that be my heads hurt?

head's hurt?