Singular/Plural Use of Words

[edmondng]

When are plural words such as 'traffics' and 'staffs' used?

I've noticed some people using these words in various scenarios, but I am of the impression that words like 'traffic' and 'staff' do not have plural or are used interchangeably between singular and plural.

Please advise. Thank you.

[David L.]

I have not come across 'traffic' as a noun used in the plural 'traffics'. However, the verb, 'traffics', (which looks like the plural of the noun because it ends in 's') as in, 'he traffics in drugs' is sometimes seen.
(This use of the word goes way back - it's found in the English translation of Dante's The Divine Comedy, and in a book my Kipling, Traffics and Discoveries)

[edmondng]

Thank you for the answer, but in this case, the word 'traffics' I'm referring to is in the area of technology, as in 'network traffics', such as 'the device's ability to monitor network traffics' or in another case, the following:

-- 1 --
Allows network administrators a method of reserving bandwidth for important traffics that require large bandwidth or have high priority.

-- 2 --
A set of rules specified by the administrator for controlling traffics on the network

-- 3 --
ACL is used to filter network traffics based on multilayer information (L2/ L3/ L4)

-- 4 --
The switch forwards multicast traffics only to the port that requested for it based on IGMP query and the report messages that have been snooped.

-- 5 --
Select the capabilities of the TrafficFlow software. (Choose all that apply)
a. Troubleshoot network problems
b. Prioritize network traffics
c. Provides Accounting and Billing information on usage
d. Sends alert message to specified address when congestion occurs


In the abovestated cases, I am of the opinion some of them may be incorrect. Is there actually a plural form of 'traffic'? Will it correct to have all the above 'traffics' replace with 'traffic'?

[David L.]

Perhaps others can see now, when one submits a question in a post, how essential it is to give some context!!!!!!
Otherwise, our response is not even in the ball park and we've wasted our time.

[albertino]

It is OK for staffs of different departments, such as accounting staff, personnel staff, transport staff, sales staff.... Longman Dict. has the following example: Both the Dodgers and the Reds have strong pitching staffs.

Traffic is an uncount noun. So we would normally say network traffic rather than network traffics.
Results of Google search for "network traffic" with 3,730,000 entries, while "network traffics", 7,100 only.
(Not a teacher)

[lhen04]

dollars or dollar?
softdrinks or softdrink?

[lhen04]

what about softdrink or softdrinks?
dollar or dollars?
I'm confused in adding "s"