• RowRowRowYourBot@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      9 hours ago

      And that’s why octopuses is correct. Octopi is not a derivation of octopus nor do we use “i” as a plural ending in English.

      • Deconceptualist@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        7 hours ago

        Sure we do, on occasion anyway. Cacti, fungi, alumni, syllabi, loci, foci, radii, moduli, stimuli, uteri, papyri, nuclei, termini.

        Language isn’t about being “correct”, as there’s no truly objective standard. Rather, it’s about being understood. But I guess you didn’t watch that video.

        • RowRowRowYourBot@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          edit-2
          2 hours ago

          Every single plural you list is derived straight from latin. If you created a neologism for a previously non-existent concept you would pluralize it with “s” in English eg email becomes emails not emali. The “i” as a plural is only for words taken straight from Latin.

          I watched it. I don’t place any value on youtube videos made by people speaking outside their expertise.

          • Deconceptualist@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            1
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            edit-2
            2 hours ago

            The “i” as a plural is only for words taken straight from Latin.

            Sure, but we use it. We adopted those words without altering that form. You said we don’t use it in English, full stop, so I gave 13 counterexamples.

            I don’t place any value on youtube videos made by people speaking outside their expertise.

            I don’t think my eyes can roll any harder.

            • RowRowRowYourBot@sh.itjust.works
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              51 minutes ago

              We don’t use it in English. We just retain the latin plural for Latin words. We don’t use Latin plurals for Greek words that use a different standard for pluralization.

              You made an appeal to authority when you provided the Steven Fry video. Fry is not by any standard an expert on the English language or linguistics. He is an actor and he has written non-academic pieces that are not on linguistics.

              There’s no reason to roll your eyes when someone rejects your non-expert source as it is an appeal to authority.