User talk:Agent 13: Difference between revisions
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Latest comment: 17 June 2019 by Heddy in topic RE: Octupus plural
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According to Merriam-Webster, both octopuses and octopi are acceptable plurals. The reason for the octopi plural is because some people mistakenly associate octopus with Latin words like syllabus and alumnus. ... However, the word octopus is actually of Greek origin. The plural of octopus in Greek is, in fact, octopodes. -Agent 13 of the New Squidbeak Splatoon 11:36, 17 June 2019 (UTC) | According to Merriam-Webster, both octopuses and octopi are acceptable plurals. The reason for the octopi plural is because some people mistakenly associate octopus with Latin words like syllabus and alumnus. ... However, the word octopus is actually of Greek origin. The plural of octopus in Greek is, in fact, octopodes. -Agent 13 of the New Squidbeak Splatoon 11:36, 17 June 2019 (UTC) | ||
: Nothing I said above was wrong. While the Greek plural is indeed octopodes, due to the fact that an English standard exists and has became more commonly used than the borrowed Greek spelling, it is not necessary to borrow the Greek spelling. In other words, the word octopus has been successfully "English-ified", with the English standard becoming more popular among English speakers than the Greek spelling. It looks like Wiktionary has a good summary of this topic: | |||
:* The plural octopi is hypercorrect, coming from the mistaken notion that the -us in octopūs is a Latin second declension ending. The word is actually treated as a third declension noun in Latin. The plural octopodes follows the Ancient Greek plural, ὀκτώποδες (oktṓpodes). | |||
:* Sources differ on which plurals are acceptable: Fowler's Modern English Usage asserts that "the only acceptable plural in English is octopuses", while Merriam-Webster and other dictionaries accept octopi as a plural form. The Oxford English Dictionary lists octopuses, octopi, and octopodes (the order reflecting decreasing frequency of use), stating that the last form is rare. The online Oxford dictionary states that the standard plural is octopuses, that octopodes is still occasionally used and that octopi is incorrect. | |||
:So that's at least 2 dictionaries stating octopi is incorrect or nonstandard. And at least two dictionaries stating that octopuses is the standard. And at least one dictionary asserting that octopuses is the only correct plural in English. In no case was octopi or octopuses stated to be the standard or more popular; in all cases it was octopuses as being more commonly used and/or the standard plural. And every source on this matter lists octopuses as the most commonly used, and octopodes as the least commonly used. Octopodes is merely an unpopular, non-standard alternative borrowed from Greek despite the successful "English-ification" of the word making it pointless to continue borrowing the exact spelling from another language. Given these facts, it makes absolutely no sense to change octopuses to these alternative spellings. [[User:Heddy|Heddy]] ([[User talk:Heddy|talk]]) 13:33, 17 June 2019 (UTC) | |||
Revision as of 13:33, 17 June 2019
RE: Patroller rights request
Hi, you currently claim to be new to wikis, but staff rights are for those experienced with editing wikis. Get some experience under your belt, and you're welcome to ask again! Let me know if you need any help or have questions. Thanks! Heddy (talk) 06:02, 15 June 2019 (UTC)
Signature policy
Hi, I noticed that your signature does not comply with Inkipedia's signature policy. In particular, it contains an image larger than 30 pixels in height. Please fix it. Thanks! Heddy (talk) 06:08, 15 June 2019 (UTC)
RE: Octupus plural
Hi, "octopuses" is the standard English plural for octopus. "Octopi" is a quirky alternative spelling that is also used, but much less. I see no reason for you to be changing the standard plural to a quirky alternative.
Sources:
- Any dictionary. They all list octopuses as the standard, and octopi as an alternative. Webster, dictionary.com, Oxford. Note how Oxford doesn't even list octopi at all!
- Grammarist: "Octopuses is far more common than octopi in edited writing of all kinds, including scientific writing."
- Grammarly: "Many people don’t like octopi, and you will rarely see it in edited works, but it does occasionally appear."
I hope this was informative! Heddy (talk) 17:36, 15 June 2019 (UTC)
We're both wrong! According to Merriam-Webster, both octopuses and octopi are acceptable plurals. The reason for the octopi plural is because some people mistakenly associate octopus with Latin words like syllabus and alumnus. ... However, the word octopus is actually of Greek origin. The plural of octopus in Greek is, in fact, octopodes. -Agent 13 of the New Squidbeak Splatoon 11:36, 17 June 2019 (UTC)
- Nothing I said above was wrong. While the Greek plural is indeed octopodes, due to the fact that an English standard exists and has became more commonly used than the borrowed Greek spelling, it is not necessary to borrow the Greek spelling. In other words, the word octopus has been successfully "English-ified", with the English standard becoming more popular among English speakers than the Greek spelling. It looks like Wiktionary has a good summary of this topic:
- The plural octopi is hypercorrect, coming from the mistaken notion that the -us in octopūs is a Latin second declension ending. The word is actually treated as a third declension noun in Latin. The plural octopodes follows the Ancient Greek plural, ὀκτώποδες (oktṓpodes).
- Sources differ on which plurals are acceptable: Fowler's Modern English Usage asserts that "the only acceptable plural in English is octopuses", while Merriam-Webster and other dictionaries accept octopi as a plural form. The Oxford English Dictionary lists octopuses, octopi, and octopodes (the order reflecting decreasing frequency of use), stating that the last form is rare. The online Oxford dictionary states that the standard plural is octopuses, that octopodes is still occasionally used and that octopi is incorrect.
- So that's at least 2 dictionaries stating octopi is incorrect or nonstandard. And at least two dictionaries stating that octopuses is the standard. And at least one dictionary asserting that octopuses is the only correct plural in English. In no case was octopi or octopuses stated to be the standard or more popular; in all cases it was octopuses as being more commonly used and/or the standard plural. And every source on this matter lists octopuses as the most commonly used, and octopodes as the least commonly used. Octopodes is merely an unpopular, non-standard alternative borrowed from Greek despite the successful "English-ification" of the word making it pointless to continue borrowing the exact spelling from another language. Given these facts, it makes absolutely no sense to change octopuses to these alternative spellings. Heddy (talk) 13:33, 17 June 2019 (UTC)
