People vs Peoples

[hunnybunny]

I often hear my Korean students use "peoples" in their sentences. I tell them that the word already refers to several persons, so there's no need to add an "s". But I do know that sometimes, the term "peoples" is used. What's the difference between the two?

[Yankee]

Hi hunnybunny

When you use the word "peoples" you are referring to several groups of people and each group shares a common culture.

- the many and varied peoples of West Africa

Look at the usage notes here:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/peoples

This usage of peoples is relatively rare and, generally speaking, when a learner of English says "peoples" instead of "people" they are usually simply making a mistake.

Amy
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[hunnybunny]

Thanks, Ms. Amy. I really appreciate it!