A question of plurals

[The Squid]

This is kinda random, but I notice the main site and the banner at the top of this page say "forums." Isn't it supposed to be fora? Like Data and datum?

[Ginga]

Supposedly this debate has raged at this forum before.

I still think it's forums, though. Everyone else says fora. I've NEVER heard fora, though. Ever.

[Derek]

The problem stems from the fact that the English word forum is the exact same as the Latin word forum, but the languages handle plurals differently. English typically makes a word plural by sticking -s or -es on the end of the word, whereas Latin is completely insane. So which version is right? The snobby intellectuals who study Latin say fora, the snobby intellectuals who study English say forums, and the rest of us just decide to call them bulletin boards since the plural isn't as confusing.

(cf. octopus, virus, medium)

Hope this helps.

[Opium]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Not again!

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

:twisted:

[PointyHairedJedi]

Heck, and they still aren't filled with cream!

[Gatac]

Octopi, virii and media. Those I think are easy to solve.

I usually go with forums, though.

Gatac

[Derek]

Octopi, virii and media.
Yes, but look them up in an English dictionary. Octupuses and mediums are listed as valid plurals. And viruses is the only accepted plural for virus in most (if not all) English dictionaries.

[Sa'ar Chasm]

Virus is a bit odd since it doesn't have a plural in Latin. Broadly (and somewhat inaccurately) speaking, it means gunk, which is...the correct nomenclature escapes me, but I want to say partitive.

Basically, you don't say one gunk, many gunks, you say ewwww, some gunk. Hence, virus as we use it to describe infectious agents has nothing in common with the Latin word.

Also, I come down on the fora side of the debate.

[Gatac]

Octopuses, I kinda understand, though I think it sounds stupid as heck. But mediums? Why? Media is already in widespread usage, why use another word for it?

Gatac

[Chancellor Valium]

^EXACTLY! IT'S SILLY!
I say fora, you say forums, YOUR WRONG! IT'S FROM THE LATIN!
Ahem. Forums may be technically valid, but there are some words and constructions in the English language which are ugly, and should not be used as such.
And latin is hardly "snobby" - just useful. I would go on to point out that roman prostitutes, slaves, etc used the language as well........but I can't be bothered :wink:

[Nan]

Octopodes, actually. "Eight legs."

Declensions, people, declensions!

[PointyHairedJedi]

Declensions, people, declensions!
My doctor said I should avoid doing those.

[Sa'ar Chasm]

How does one decline a noun? Like so:

No thanks, I filled up on adjectives at lunch.

[Hotaru]

Well, it only took 12 posts to take this from a question to ramblings about eating words. Good, but we can do better!

I land on the forums side, as it is the more widely accepted form of the word. We just happen to have more people who study latin here than the average forum. While I feel that everyone is free to call it whatever they choose, all I have to say is this:

Fora sounds silly.

[Xeroc]

Well, I like fora better personally, but it's not a big deal.

Using that you could also say foras for a collection of multiple message board sites, where forumses just sounds silly. ;)

[Zeke]

Using that you could also say foras --

GHAA!

Thanks ever so much. Now my eyes are on fire. Ow.

[Ginga]

Using that you could also say foras --

GHAA!

Thanks ever so much. Now my eyes are on fire. Ow.

This made me laugh just as much as "swoopy" did.

[NeoMatrix]

Looks like someone has the case of the swoopies

[ijdgaf]

I used to have a bus driver named swoopy.

Well, that's what we called him.

He was old, senile, and irratible.

He soon quit and started working at mall security.

[mudshark]

... where forumses just sounds silly. ;) "Forumses" makes you sound like Gollum, yesssss ...

[Sa'ar Chasm]

Damn. Beat me to it.

I was going to say that foras (or forae) makes about as much grammatical sense as hobbitses.

[Chancellor Valium]

forae......yeuch. Tastes almost as bad as hobbitses.......

[NAHTMMM]

"Foras" : "fora" :: "Peoples" : "people", maybe? ;)

[Zeke]

I think "peoples" is dumb too, so yes.

Anyway, there's no one plural for forum -- it depends on how many you have. Two forums are eightum, three forums are twelveum, and so on.

[Hotaru]

...Two forums are eightum, three forums are twelveum, and so on.
Now that is just silly.

[MaverickZer0]

How 'bout we just say BBS?

Though I think forae makes about as much sense as farae and mitochondrion. Or farandolae. Whatever.

(MaverickZer0 would like to note the above makes more sense if one has read the Wrinkle in Time series, specifically the book he cannot currently remember the name of but is not Many Waters, a Swiftly Tilting Planet, or A Wrinkle in Time. Even then, it doesn't mae much sense.)

[Ginga]

How 'bout we just say BBS?

Though I think forae makes about as much sense as farae and mitochondrion. Or farandolae. Whatever.

(MaverickZer0 would like to note the above makes more sense if one has read the Wrinkle in Time series, specifically the book he cannot currently remember the name of but is not Many Waters, a Swiftly Tilting Planet, or A Wrinkle in Time. Even then, it doesn't mae much sense.)

Oh, no, I read those years ago... DX

[Chancellor Valium]

How 'bout we just say BBS?

Though I think forae makes about as much sense as farae and mitochondrion. Or farandolae. Whatever.

(MaverickZer0 would like to note the above makes more sense if one has read the Wrinkle in Time series, specifically the book he cannot currently remember the name of but is not Many Waters, a Swiftly Tilting Planet, or A Wrinkle in Time. Even then, it doesn't mae much sense.)
No. forae isn't correct latin. You see, forum (I think) is a neuter noun. Either that or it's in the accusative singular of the second declension masculine etc etc ad nauseam.

[Sa'ar Chasm]

OK, now you're just making words up.

[Nan]

Ahh, English. My beloved bastard trade language with few rules and little sense.

[Sa'ar Chasm]

English is what you get when you combine French and German, let sit for a millenium or so and then teach it to kleptomaniac monkeys.

English doesn't borrow from other languages so much as hit them over the head in a dark alley and then rifle through their pockets for loose vocabulary.

[Nan]

French, German, Arabic, Sanskritic, and Greek, plus a sprinkle of various others, like, Chinese and Japanese.

[Sa'ar Chasm]

Everything after German is encompassed by the beating-other-languages-over-the-head-in-an-alley remark.

Plus you forgot Gaelic.

[mudshark]

Well, the French (Normans) did invade, as the Danes had before them, and add the Brythonic (Welsh, Cornish, Breton) languages to the Goidelic (Irish/Scots Gaelic, Manx).

[Opium]

Das ist gut.

ie,

That is good.

My German lesson for today.

[PointyHairedJedi]

English doesn't borrow from other languages so much as hit them over the head in a dark alley and then rifle through their pockets for loose vocabulary.
Yes, Urban Dictionary is a great site, isn't it. ;)

[Chancellor Valium]

French, German, Arabic, Sanskritic, and Greek, plus a sprinkle of various others, like, Chinese and Japanese.

You missed out Latin :P
And the original language of the native Britons :P:P:P:P:P

[Sa'ar Chasm]

You missed out Latin

It came in via French for the most part.

And the original language of the native Britons

Which didn't contribute all that many words.

[Nan]

Pfeh. Latin. The Romans were sissies.

[Chancellor Valium]

Sissies who conquered a sizable chunk of the known world, though.....

[Nan]

Keh. Culturally backward and relying on Greek thinkers.

[mudshark]

Cool av, Nan. 8)

[Sa'ar Chasm]

Ironically, it's in Latin.

Cool nonetheless.

[mudshark]

Corvine irony? Hmmm.

[Nan]

Scientific name, foo. ;P

[Chancellor Valium]

Indeed. Corvus Corvax, I think.....meaning: Raven. I think. :wink:

[mudshark]

Looks more like Corvus brachyrhynchos to me, but I'm no expert.

[Sa'ar Chasm]

Corvus brachyrhynchos

Split-beaked crow?[/quote]

[NAHTMMM]

Looks more like Corvus brachyrhynchos to me
Or Corvus flambe? ;)

[Nan]

Stop making fun of my avatar, please.

[Ginga]

I like it! It's very pretty. :)

[Zeke]

Don't worry, Nan. We shall make fun of it... nevermore.

[Ginga]

Don't worry, Nan. We shall make fun of it... nevermore.

Quoth the Zeke...

[Nan]

:x

This is a really, really bad day to mess with me. I worked really hard designing that symbol for school. But since you guys want to make fun of it, I took it down.

PEACE.

[Alexia]

Aww...I'm behind and never saw it :( Is it the one posted on DA? Coz that's way cool :D Designing symbols and stuff is REALLY hard but you do it so well :mrgreen: *hugs nan*

Also, it's forums.
and then teach it to kleptomaniac monkeys
And as a kleptomaniac monkey, I resent that :wink:

[Zeke]

Whoa. Nan, no one here was making fun of your avatar. We all think it's awesome. We were joking around about it because that's what we DO here, we joke around about stuff. It could have been any other member's new avatar that sparked something like this.

I'm sorry you're having a rough time, and you know that if there's anything we can do to help, all you have to do is ask. We're your friends -- we never meant to offend you.

[PointyHairedJedi]

Aw, cheer up, Nan. Myself and all the PHJ's agree that you are a very cool person indeed. Heck, even Sithbert thinks you're cool (yeah, I know he's a bit creepy looking (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v136/PointyHairedJedi/LP07mu.png), but still), and we never agree about anything!

[mudshark]

Really, Nan, I said I liked it, and I meant that -- one thing you will never get from me is an empty compliment. None of the other stuff should be taken personally.


Sa'ar: Common (or American) crow

[NAHTMMM]

Yeah, I thought it was nifty too. I wouldn't have been making fun of it like that. :? ;)

[Edit] That last bit is rather awkward, isn't it? :( What I meant was, supposing I even disliked it, it's awfully unlikely I would be making fun of it with such a comment.

I was just being punny. Sorry it made you feel bad. :(

[Ginga]

Ack! But I said I liked it! It was really neat! :( Don't take it away...

[mudshark]

English is what you get when you combine French and German, let sit for a millenium or so and then teach it to kleptomaniac monkeys.

English doesn't borrow from other languages so much as hit them over the head in a dark alley and then rifle through their pockets for loose vocabulary.Came across an interesting link (http://www.historyhouse.com/in_history/spelling/) at the Terran forum which relates to this somewhat.