medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
If I may be excused for a further detour from medieval religion: "agenda" is
used as a singular noun when it refers to a written list - no one says,
"Where are my agenda? I just put them down for a minute." But then what is
the correct plural for several copies of the list? agenda/agendas? My
personal favourite is criterias, which I heard on the lips of a classicist.
Even Homer sometimes nods.
Bernadette Filotas
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jo Ann McNamara" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2007 10:48 AM
Subject: Re: [M-R] Function of a Piscina or of a well
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>
> I'd like to register a vote for "nasturtia". The concept of the -um, -a
> singular and plural seems to be fast disappearing from our language and I
> think it leaves us the poorer in our sense of roots. I myself have
> trouble with data and agenda and found myself guilty of using candelabra
> as a singular not long ago. But when I got flack for using "millennia" in
> a book title rather than millenniums, my alarms really started flashing.
> Can't we hold on to correct usage where it still exists?
>
> Jo Ann McNamara
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "John Dillon" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2007 5:42 PM
> Subject: Re: [M-R] Function of a Piscina or of a well
>
>
>> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>>
>> On Tuesday, March 13, 2007, at 3:34 pm, Anne Willis wrote:
>>
>>> And should the plural of piscina be piscinae,
>>> rather than piscinas?
>>
>> The choice between an attested plural in a loan word's own language and
>> the general English-language plural in '-s' strikes me as a matter of
>> personal style and comfort, plus of course of one's sense of one's
>> audience. _En famille_, I use 'nasturtia' as an English-language plural
>> of 'nasturtium'. But in a garden club that usage might only cause
>> puzzlement and annoyance.
>>
>> Someone who is willing to insist on 'pyxides' as the plural of 'pyx' will
>> have no difficulty in demanding 'piscinae' rather than 'piscinas', no
>> matter how many anathemas this may provoke from others. And perhaps even
>> from others who use 'anathemata' as the plural of 'anathema' in the sense
>> of 'imprecation' (to me, 'anathemata' are votive offerings).
>>
>> Best,
>> John Dillon
>>
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>
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