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Orchid [ˈɔːkɪd] Is Countable

Sun, 16 Jun 2013

Grammatically, the word or lexical item orchid ['ɔːkɪd] normally functions as a regular countable noun. That means that the plural noun is formed by adding the plural ending or suffix -s to the singular noun (orchid + s = orchids). Notice that the suffix -s is pronounced as [-z] because it is preceded by a voiced consonant sound [d]. So, the correct pronunciation of the plural noun orchids in British English is ['ɔ:kɪdz]. In American English, the pronunciation of the singular form is ['ɔ:rkɪd]; there exists the sound [r] between [ɔː] and [k].

Semantically, an orchid is categorized as a plant, not as a flower, by online English-English dictionaries, such as Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionaries Online and Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. Here are the definitions of orchid: "a plant with brightly coloured flowers of unusual shapes" (Oxford), "a plant that has flowers which are brightly coloured and unusually shaped" (Longman), and "a plant with beautifully coloured flowers that have an unusual shape" (Cambridge). All pictures below were taken in Jakarta and Colombo, Sri Lanka in June 2012. 

 

How stunning! Orchids in the international airport Soekarno-Hatta, which is situated in Jakarta, the capital city Jakarta.  

  

Orchids in a hotel lobby in Colombo,
the capital city of Sri Lanka



Orchids in Soekarno-Hatta international airport, Jakarta 

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