(no subject)

[dreamer_easy]

A moment of confusion as I read a letter to the editor referring to ibis in the botanic gardens. "What's an ibi?", I thought.

ETA: The plural is ibises according to Ask Oxford. Maybe there really is such a thing as an ibi!

Comments

[whochick.livejournal.com]

We can only hope! It sounds like it should be some kind of South American rodent.

[drox.livejournal.com]

"What's an ibi?", I thought.

I get that same problem with viruses.

Why do so many otherwise intelligent people insist on using virii as the plural for virus? This seems especially common when people are writing about computer viruses.

It'd still be wrong, but I could sort of understand if they used viri (cactus --> cacti; fungus --> fungi). But virii?!?! Where did that extra i come from?

[capriuni.livejournal.com]

Where did that extra i come from?

Latin. And false pretentiousness. ;-)

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

Hawaii?

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

According to the blazing lime green page here, "virus is an anomaly.  It is a neuter noun of the second declension and has no plural in Latin.  The English plural is viruses." More of the same here. (Virus is Latin for venom - perhaps it's a sort of plural noun, like water or garbage. That's just a guess, mind.)

[pbristow.livejournal.com]

But water and garbage aren't plural nouns, they're *continuum* nouns. Like custard. Except that custard can also be singular (ob.Who: Rorvick in "Warriors Gate".)

I'll shut up now.

Unlimited rice pudding: plural or singular?

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

You just made that up!

Re: Unlimited rice pudding: plural or singular?

[pbristow.livejournal.com]

[BLINKS] Which bit?

Re: Unlimited rice pudding: plural or singular?

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

Continuum noun, my bottom.

Re: Unlimited rice pudding: plural or singular?

[pbristow.livejournal.com]

No... I don't *think* your bottom is a continuum (continual?) noun. But ask Jon for an independent assessment. =:o}

I can never remember what the proper term is for "a noun that applies to a continuum or fluid", i.e. to something that can't be counted (but can - usually - be measured), but there definitely is one. Possibly several.

And my favourite line of Rorvick's was always the "custard" one. First time I heard it, it bugged me, 'cos I'd never heard "custard" used as a singular noun before. =:o}

Re: Unlimited rice pudding: plural or singular?

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

ask Jon for an independent assessment

Cheeky!

[kitzen-kat.livejournal.com]

One ibis, two ibex. *g*

And three ibices.

[dark-pheonix.livejournal.com]

I now officially want a T-shirt with "What's an ibi?" on it.

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

UBI IBI - "Where are the ibises?"

[antikythera.livejournal.com]

It's those Latin words that end in -us that are pluralised with an -i. The suffixes -is and -us sound the same, but I don't think that means anything.

To use an indelicate example, the plural of penis is not penii, it's penes. Maybe the birds should be ibes. ^^;

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

The plot thickens - "ibis" comes from the Greek! Iboi? :-)