Happy Birthday, KillerJoe!

[turgy22]

I'm fairly sure that both Loti and Lotuses are correct (as in, you can use either), but octopi is just plain wrong

Just wondering, did you finish highschool?

I'm not going to argue word origins with you, as you clearly have more knowledge on the subject than I, but octopi is not "clearly wrong."

Webster's Dictionary lists both forms as acceptable. I can't back up where they derived this from, but I do trust that they have some pretty skilled linguists who decipher what is and is not correct.

 

[Ransac]

Awesome!!!! I'm not as stupid as once thought!!!


Ransac, cpa trash man

 

[Modus Pwnens]

Look here: http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutgrammar/plurals?view=uk

It explains all

Oh, and I don't really know a lot about it, I just pretend I do

 

[Killer Joe]

What have you children done to my post!?

There will be NO LEARNING on my threads!

 

[Ransac]

Time for me to search my favorite questionable source: Wikipedia!!!

Octopusen?. No, not really... or at all. But, it appears that this has been a topic of debate in the academic circles. Apparently, there is no equivalent to the word "octopus," so there is no set rule on its plural form.

As for the Oxford rationale, I've typically preferred Websters to its British counterpart. Regardless of roots and what-not (or how wrong we on this side of the pond are), Websters is the standard. American English dictionary

Ransac, cpa trash man

 

[Modus Pwnens]

American English, that's a nice moment to drop the word "Pleonasm"?

 

[Mooseman]

Actually, that is wrong, because it is not a Latin noun of the second declension, but rather a Latinized form of Greek ὀκτώπους. The theoretically correct plural would be octopodes.

I'm fairly sure that both Loti and Lotuses are correct (as in, you can use either), but octopi is just plain wrong

Just wondering, did you finish highschool?

Actually octopi is correct...

American Heritage Dictionary
oc·to·pi (ŏk'tə-pī')
n. A plural of octopus

 

[Modus Pwnens]

Just because it's used a lot, doesn't mean that it is correct.

The correct plural is octopodes, and the most used plural is octopi or octopuses.

 

[Mooseman]

So all three are plurals of octopus, but only 1 is correct?
What are the other two? Slang?
Sorry, but I am really confused by this...... maybe I misunderstand your use of correct....

 

[Spiderman]

His link of the askoxford explains it all...

 

[Ransac]

American English, that's a nice moment to drop the word "Pleonasm"?

Not at all! There are distinct differances between "American English" and "British English," both in spelling and pronounciation. I was merely stating that, being an American, I tend to agree more with Webster's (the standard American dictionary) to Oxford (the standard British dictionary).


Ransac, cpa trash man

 

[Mooseman]

His link of the askoxford explains it all...

"Correct", not correct...... now I get it.

 

[Oversoul]

Ooooooooooooooollllllllllldddddddddddd!