Since the time of primitive man, our society has moved significantly forward: we changed our skins to European or other clothes, we live in comfortable houses and wear shoes instead of walking barefoot. Today, the working day of many inhabitants of the Earth begins in a standard way: an alarm clock, breakfast, polishing in accordance with the requirements of the dress code and a trip to work. And, yes, you probably do not come to work without shoes, or without shoes ...
By the way, have you ever wondered how to speak correctly: without shoes or without shoes? You may not be too concerned about this topic, but sometimes you may have to say a phrase with the inclusion of this noun. For example, if you don’t have fashionable shoes ... or shoes. Still, a civilized person must know how to formulate his thought correctly, so we will discuss this.
Meaning and Origin
The word "shoe" appeared on the expanses of the Russian state relatively recently - at the beginning of the XVIII century.
It means the following: the type of shoe covering the ankle of the foot. Words that clarify the meaning of the word "shoe", being its synonyms - shoes or low shoes. They all come together in a broader concept - shoes. The word "shoes" often forms phrases with the words "male" and "female", being phraseological units.
The officially accepted version is as follows: the singular form is represented by the word “shoe”, refers to a noun, answering the question “what?”. It is an inanimate object of the feminine, because it is combined with the possessive pronoun "mine" (my shoe).
In the morphological analysis of the word "shoe" we get the root -tufl- and the ending -i- that changes during the declension of the cases.
Special Russian look
The etymology of the word “shoes”, according to some scholars, goes back to the Greek word παντόφελλος, from which the German pantuffel subsequently appeared, shortened later to tuffele, which means “shoe”. In the Nordic countries, the German version has undergone minor changes, but is quite recognizable. Among Italians, this word was transformed to pantofola.
In the Russian language, the word "shoes" did not follow the well-trodden European path, according to which this concept refers to the masculine gender. Despite the hints of the dictionaries, in Russia “shoes” are represented by both the female version of the word “shoe” and the male version - “shoe”. Given that in the Russian language nouns do not tend to vary by gender, we got two different words. Well, Russia has always had a special way, thanks to which we have certain problems:
- First: nevertheless, to what gender does the singular word "shoes" refer, especially when you consider that the plural form is not officially provided?
- Second: how to say correctly: "Do you have new shoes or shoes?"
- Third: what to do with stress? Maybe “shoe”, and maybe “shoe”, or shoe “? Especially since there is only“ shoe ”in the dictionaries.
Let's try to translate the problem of "shoes or shoes" into a task, as psychologists advise.
Let's take a look at the cases
To solve the issue with “shoes”, we apply the classical algorithm of actions: let's look into the dictionary. It is very clearly explained that the word "shoe" refers to feminine nouns. Its main form of application is the singular. If we are talking about more than one shoe, then the phrase “pair of shoes” should be used. However, the compilers of the dictionaries did not take into account the creative approach of the Russians to the Russian language: “a pair of shoes” did not take root in Russia.
New dictionaries do not keep pace with the development of the situation in colloquial speech and the formation of stable word forms that have become almost the norm. So today, few people use the classic "pair of shoes", using the newly formed folk version of "pair of shoes."
However, the latter option does not fit into the harmonious system of the Russian language, according to which the noun "shoe", being in the plural and put in the genitive case, turns into a "pair of shoes". A "shoe", by the way, is a masculine noun in the singular and nominative case. The result is a coincidence of two forms of nouns: the singular masculine (nominative) and the plural of the feminine (genitive).
If we decline the word “shoes” of the masculine singular, then the variant of the genitive case for him will be “shoes”, identical to the initial form of the feminine gender “shoes”: there’s nothing - a shoe.
About stress
The paradox of the current situation with a “pair of shoes or shoes” is complemented by the stress situation. The fact is that the phrase “pair of shoes” is considered to be “illegal” in Russian, but on a completely legal basis there is a feminine noun in the instrumental case “shoe”: just the stressed syllable has changed, and now the situation has changed.
But there is good news: in the noun “shoe” (a single number of the feminine gender), stress is always placed on the first syllable, that is, on the letter “U”. At least something remains unchanged.
We speak and write
And yet, if we are talking, for example, about the rules for shoe care, then what would the phrase sound like: "When putting on your shoes ... (or shoes) make sure that the size suits you?" Only one thing is clear: the emphasis in both words will be on the first syllable.
But what about declining the plural of the noun in the nominative case "shoes"? The rules give an unambiguous answer: the variant of the genitive case of the plural "shoes" with an emphasis on the letter "U" is currently accepted.
It is substantiated as follows: since the noun “shoe” is feminine and tends to be of the first type, where the stress is placed on the first syllable, the plural of the word “shoe” in the genitive case will have no ending.
So the dilemma of "shoes or shoes" is decided in favor of "shoes."
What to do with shoes?
So, we came to the conclusion that the correct version of the plural of the word “shoes” in the genitive case would be “shoes” (not what?). For example, "such shoes are no longer sewn."
The singular form of the noun “shoe” in the instrumental case is “shoe” or “shoe” (what?) With emphasis on the type of the first declension.
As for the controversial plural of the word “shoes”, the noun “shoes” used in colloquial speech, formed when the original word is declined in the genitive case, causes disagreement among linguists. Someone considers this option acceptable as vernacular, while someone adheres to the classical point of view without making discounts on conversational practice.
So we can say that among experts there is no consensus on the issue of "shoes or shoes."
Probably, you should adhere to the "golden mean" when choosing the form of this noun. Many dictionaries provide explanations for the form of "shoes" (genitive), allowing its use in colloquial speech, but warning that this is a departure from the classical canons.
Therefore, with the question "shoes or shoes," you can be guided by both options: one for spelling, and the other in everyday communication.