Reply to: science term

[NotAllThere]

... the plural of Dobermann is not Doberleute or even Dobermänner.

Is it Döbermann?

[HairyArsedBloke]

Interesting in that I had a convo with my kids about this just the other day - we decided that the US way is prob correct as Caribbeans themselves tend to say it that way.

Oh yeah, I forgot to say that what winds me up the most is that they are probably correct.

As for the locals say it that way too is due to the influence of the septics, no more. The Carib people died out centuries ago.

[NickFitz]

Edit: This proves my point

A comment on a random Canadian blog cannot be said to "prove" anything

[Platypus]

Edit: This proves my point

Well, the Oxford dictionary folks differ with you

Although it is often supposed that octopi is the 'correct' plural of octopus, and it has been in use for longer than the usual Anglicized plural octopuses, it in fact originates as an error. Octopus is not a simple Latin word of the second declension, but a Latinized form of the Greek word oktopous, and its 'correct' plural would logically be octopodes

http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexper...rammar/plurals

Edit: upon further investigation, it seems that octopuses is in fact the widely accepted form, including by the OED.

[Platypus]

The way the septics say "Caribbean" winds me up.

Interesting in that I had a convo with my kids about this just the other day - we decided that the US way is prob correct as Caribbeans themselves tend to say it that way.

[Marina]

Is it octopi or octopuses?

<pedant>

Isn't the "pus" part from the Greek for foot? In that case the plural should be "octopodoi"

</pedant>

Edit: This proves my point

[HairyArsedBloke]

.... and the plural of Dobermann is not Doberleute or even Dobermänner.

Sorry, that really does crack me up.

[NotAllThere]

Both are valid, but, logically, it should be octopodes.

[expat]

Is it octopi or octopuses?

Octopodes.



No, really it's Octopuses.
1 is an Octopus, and
(a) it's not Latin 2nd declension so Octopi is false
(b) an octopus is not a pus, so although the (Ancient Greek) plural of pus is podes, the plural of octopus is not octopodes. In the same way as the plural of walkman is not walkmen, and the plural of Dobermann is not Doberleute or even Dobermänner.

[TimberWolf]

You should take a look at yourself in the meer sometime.

Is it octopi or octopuses?

[HairyArsedBloke]

You should take a look at yourself in the meer sometime.

Meer: Meer is a small village in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is located in the municipality of Twenterand, about 2 km west of the town of Den Ham.

[DiscoStu]

Don't get me started on GW and new-ke-lar.

[TheBigYinJames]

The way the septics say "Caribbean" winds me up.

You should take a look at yourself in the meer sometime.

[HairyArsedBloke]

The way the septics say "Caribbean" winds me up.

[EternalOptimist]

I hate the way the say Aluminum

instead of Aluminium


grrr