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2010-04-04
, 15:22
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Posts: 670 |
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Joined on May 2007
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#22
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We had a good argument about the plural of schema at work a while back.
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Class .. : Lame hacker & beardy boffin
Humour . : [#######---] Alignment: Apathetic anarchist
Patience : [####------] Weapon(s): My cat, my code.
Agro ... : |#---------] Relic(s) : N900, MacBookPro, NSLU2, N800, SheevaPlug, Eee-901, Core2-Quad, PS3
"In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they're not."
--
Beware of extras-devel.
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2010-04-04
, 16:06
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Posts: 3,319 |
Thanked: 5,610 times |
Joined on Aug 2008
@ Finland
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#23
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Originally Posted by CrashandDie
The argument is actually that 'fora' HAS been accepted into English (and not just in the singular form), not that Latin language rules apply. Think bacterium/bacteria.
With regards to fora, it's wrong. It is a spurious argument to claim that a loan word should follow the rules of the language it comes from. How many people know the Inuit pluralisation rules for 'anorak', or the Nahautl rules for 'avocado'. If we borrow a Japanese word, can't we make it plural because Japanes has no plural? Where should we draw the line? Japanese does not accept an inanimate noun as a subject; should we follow this rule, too?
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Blogging about mobile linux - The Penguin Moves!
Maintainer of PyQt (see introduction and docs), AppWatch, QuickBrownFox, etc
Blogging about mobile linux - The Penguin Moves!
Maintainer of PyQt (see introduction and docs), AppWatch, QuickBrownFox, etc
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2010-04-06
, 01:42
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Posts: 336 |
Thanked: 610 times |
Joined on Apr 2008
@ France
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#24
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Originally Posted by attila77
Except that it hasn't:
The argument is actually that 'fora' HAS been accepted into English (and not just in the singular form), not that Latin language rules apply. Think bacterium/bacteria.
The English plural forums is preferred to the Latin plural fora in normal English usage.
* Ref: Modern English Usage, 2nd Edition, ed. Sir Ernest Gowers, Oxford 1968 (article '-um', p.658).
This is about as ridiculous as having "bouncebackability" in dictionnaries. There is already a word to describe the ability to recover from adversity, and it's resilience.
Fora is not a commonly accepted term. It is, as I said in my previous post, an exuberant way for people to try and demonstrate that they have some kind of knowledge when it comes to language. The truth is, their knowledge would be more genuinely displayed by adhering to the proper rules of a language.
Medium and media have been widely accepted because they were used as such since the beginning;-- however "medias" is not impossible. Forum and forums has been in use for so long, that it wouldn't make sense to change this in any way, shape or form.
Do you say datum when talking about the singular of data? But that's right! Data doesn't have a singular form in English, because it's an uncountable noun. Datum can be used, but only in formal scientific context -- that doesn't mean everyone should use it; for saying that a word has its appropriate roots in a language because it is used within a very specific context would mean that I can't say I have an oak in my garden, but a Fagaceae Quercus.
To go back to my previous example, what's the plural of anorak? Is it anoraks or anooraaq? Well, in English it's anoraks; in Inuit or Icelandic it's anooraaq.
Also, if you are so keen to be using the actual real world Latin, why not say foro, foris, forum? Would we say Reggie's foro, or the foris at TMO?
Where do we draw the line, then?
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2010-04-06
, 01:51
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Posts: 11,700 |
Thanked: 10,045 times |
Joined on Jun 2006
@ North Texas, USA
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#25
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Oh geez, I'm suddenly glad Latin is a dead language.
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2010-04-06
, 02:17
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Posts: 5,795 |
Thanked: 3,151 times |
Joined on Feb 2007
@ Agoura Hills Calif
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#26
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Ultimately, it's just a matter of a decision being made. You try to be aware of language trends and stay on the right side of history, so that the way you use language sounds comfortable to you and your audience.
It seems obvious to me that "fora" is way past its expiration date.
It seems obvious to me that "fora" is way past its expiration date.
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2010-04-06
, 02:45
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Posts: 5,478 |
Thanked: 5,222 times |
Joined on Jan 2006
@ St. Petersburg, FL
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#27
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Originally Posted by CrashandDie
Especially with en_US where it's a tried and true past time to completely naturalize foreign words and phrases.
With regards to fora, it's wrong. It is a spurious argument to claim that a loan word should follow the rules of the language it comes from. How many people know the Inuit pluralisation rules for 'anorak', or the Nahautl rules for 'avocado'. If we borrow a Japanese word, can't we make it plural because Japanes has no plural? Where should we draw the line? Japanese does not accept an inanimate noun as a subject; should we follow this rule, too?
Forums all the way!
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Ryan Abel
Ryan Abel
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2010-04-06
, 02:50
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Posts: 2,869 |
Thanked: 1,784 times |
Joined on Feb 2007
@ Po' Bo'. PA
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#28
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Yeesh... thIs is getting foriculous... or would that be foriculi ? 
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We don't draw the line. The words we use are the words that work in a given situation. Those words change as there effectiveness diminishes or the situation, context, and individual actors change.
Grand Pa might say "You know, that whatchamacallit you're always going on line for. What's that doohickey called anyway?"
I would know what he means.
...but then again gramps might be talking about a porn site.
Last edited by YoDude; 2010-04-06 at 02:52. Reason: ,
***
We don't draw the line. The words we use are the words that work in a given situation. Those words change as there effectiveness diminishes or the situation, context, and individual actors change.
Grand Pa might say "You know, that whatchamacallit you're always going on line for. What's that doohickey called anyway?"
I would know what he means.
...but then again gramps might be talking about a porn site.
Last edited by YoDude; 2010-04-06 at 02:52. Reason: ,
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2010-04-06
, 09:45
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Posts: 95 |
Thanked: 17 times |
Joined on Mar 2010
@ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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#29
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Forums in English. Fora in Dutch.
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