Name Game: Podi Puss Plural

[bakan]

If i remember correctly, Octopi is incorrect, octopuses is acceptable, but the correct plural is octopodes. God, I love knowing that and annoying people with it.

Well, all three are acceptable and correct...

 

[mgirl]

If i remember correctly, Octopi is incorrect, octopuses is acceptable, but the correct plural is octopodes. God, I love knowing that and annoying people with it.

Well, all three are acceptable and correct...

Alright, I'll be more specific. Octopi is acceptable in language, but technically the incorrect plural that came about due to overgeneralising of a specific language rule. Octopuses is the one that is seen as 'standard', therefore more acceptable, and octopodes is often viewed as 'correct' in terms of its root language.

 

[moosek]

Is that Jared from Manly Guys?

 

[omega 616]

It's true.

QI told me so.

And Stephen Fry never lies.

Well the other accepted form is octo-po-die, I have no idea how I am meant to spell it correctly, just phonetically.

That was also on QI.

 

[Zaverexus]

Octopus is a word of Latin origin. Not Greek. Therefore the correct plural form is OCTOPUSES. Not Octopi.

Octopus comes from the Greek word, but yes it is Latin, you are right about that. Actually that is the precise reason why it is "octopi" in plural. That's how Latin works. Second declension plural nominative, to be precise, ending is "-i".
Even if it were Greek the plural form would be "octopodes"; under no circumstances besides English corruption of the form would it be "octopuses".

If it were Latin it would be third declension (octopes) and thus octopedes in plural.

It would be if it were a foreign word that did not fit another declension, but seeing as it already ends "-us", it would just become second declension masculine.

 

[(LK)]

People who edit dictionaries will tell you that there are multiple correct pluralizations, and that they're tired of being asked that question by neurotic people who insist only one could possibly be correct.

In fact I won't just state this and leave it on it's own merit. Here is a video by Merriam Webster dictionary editor Kory Stamper reminding you to loosen up and stop harassing others with misguided pedantry. http://youtu.be/wFyY2mK8pxk

Language is not a fixed subject where every question can have only one answer which never changes. If you view language that way, you cannot possibly be more incorrect. Speakers, not linguists, determine what is "correct" in a language. Linguists simply study this and then seek to wield education to keep this consistent and compatible across regions. They do not address the public from on high and dictate their own language to them.

 

[Draconalis]

(second-year linguistics specialist, ***** )
EDIT: ***** not being directed at the author or anyone in particular, just added for effect 'cause I'm proud...

Best effect.

I sometimes just like to add it in for flavor.

"Hey, can you pass my the milk? *****."

"Yo, you up for a game of Magic? *****."

Also, the way you say "*****" has to be very precise, no matter the context, it always sounds the same. You pause for a moment, hard B... medium ch? Also, you have to swivel your head a little when you say it.


On a side note...

http://www.google.com/recaptcha/api/image?c=03AHJ_Vut9unqz5SM_yMEIt5xFQqBreUjmyHapw3_II2LO78S_SubSByPUmVbssAOy-s1OMowGfffVi70Uh_H8nshbUfgdsVBTuRHcHNV1iBXEOf-X5PZSyrVkL7Z_wlFZV7Z8FfQ1rFs4eEc2g6OhWbopOcwt81P14w

Is the Escapist giving me his/her/its number? Should I be flattered?

 

[Draconalis]

So where does this leave:

Cactus
Colossus
...and
Genius

I'm not a native english speaker so i'm actually looking for a serious answer to this one.

Colossus is latin... So it would be "Colossi", but I can't seem to work it into a sentence without it sounding weird. Anything "Colossi" describes, just seems better described with "colossal"

"There are many colossi tree"

"There are many colossal trees"

Eh... I suppose it all depends on what you want to pluralize. Grammatically both are correct (I think, but I suck at English, so I might be wrong) but the latter simply SOUNDS right.

 

[duchaked]

Octopuses...yeah that's more fun to say anyway

 

[PhiMed]

I think that if you look up "pseudo-intellectualism", this panelset, with the accompanying explanation, would be next to it.

 

[The3rdEye]

So where does this leave:

Cactus
Colossus
...and
Genius

I'm not a native english speaker so i'm actually looking for a serious answer to this one.

Colossus is latin... So it would be "Colossi", but I can't seem to work it into a sentence without it sounding weird. Anything "Colossi" describes, just seems better described with "colossal"

"There are many colossi tree"

"There are many colossal trees"

Eh... I suppose it all depends on what you want to pluralize. Grammatically both are correct (I think, but I suck at English, so I might be wrong) but the latter simply SOUNDS right.

I believe you are trying to use a noun as an adjective. Something can be colossal, or you can buy several colossi. Yeup, this is how bored I am.

 

[FlipC]

So where does this leave:

Cactus
Colossus
...and
Genius

I'm not a native english speaker so i'm actually looking for a serious answer to this one.

If you accept them as being English words than add -es as per the normal rules on pluralisation.

Cactuses
Colossuses
...and
Geniuses

and every native English speaker would understand you.

If you consider them as from the point of view of where English first acquired them that would be Latin.

Cacti
Colossi
...and
Genii

and most native English speakers would consider you pretentious.

If you want to consider them from where they may have been first derived then

Cactoi
Colossal

(Genius remains as per Latin)

and most native English speakers would wonder what you were talking about ;-)

 

[arithine]

Languages evolve! they change! we decided we wanted to use the term octopi to be more consistent with other words like it. you are free to use the term octopuses but it is by no means fair to label it as "the only right form!"

thank you

So where does this leave:

Cactus
Colossus
...and
Genius

I'm not a native english speaker so i'm actually looking for a serious answer to this one.

Cacti
Colossi
and
Geniuses
at least thats how i say them
and the colossus thing, shadow of the colossus kind of colossi? because other way its hard for me to think of how to do plural colossus.

 

[loc978]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octopus#Etymology_and_pluralization
-looking at sources there, all of the above are technically correct. Octopus exists as a Greek, Scientific Latin, and English word, so... it's all up to individual preference. Also, really, if someone starts a word with "octop-", there aren't a whole lot of other things they could be referring to.

 

[camazotz]

You've all got it wrong. They much prefer to be identified as "Overlords." You'll see....

 

[xXGeckoXx]

Is it 2nd declension or 3rd declension? If it's 3rd, then you're right and it should be "octopuses". But -i is also the Latin plural ending for the 2nd declension, and given that -us is the usual masculine 2nd declension ending, "octopi" would make more sense.

But even then, Wikipedia says that it's from Greek "octopous" (which would get Latinized as "octopus"), which is "octo+pous" and "pous" has the irregular stem "pod-" which would make "octopodes" the correct plural. It also makes the guess that, if the word were truly Latin, you would have "octopes/octopedes" since "pes" is the Latin word for foot.

Also, anyone trying to claim that history/etymology has anything to do with the prescriptive "correctness" of modern language, go look up the etymology of the word "nice [http://etymonline.com/?term=nice]."

(second-year linguistics specialist, ***** )
EDIT: ***** not being directed at the author or anyone in particular, just added for effect 'cause I'm proud...

Yup did this research a while ago octopodes it is.

 

[LRRBrad]

Since octopus comes from the Greek, it should really be Octopodi.