A number of people have mentioned singular & plural when naming a table, as Mr.Celko said - it's a set, hence plural makes sense.

To be slightly obtuse here, use of t or v or pk & fk in naming is useful to someone such as myself who has moved between many systems. These simple conventions shorten the amount of time it takes to get aquainted with a new system. Purity of design versus practicality is  something you should ask the guy paying you about, he will always opt for the cheapest pragmatic solution. So why don't you all try that approach.