Latin Watch:
Jack Waterford, Editor-at-Large of The Canberra Times, writes: Re. Yesterday’s Editorial. I’d be pretty sure (though I do not have my definitive Lewis and Short Latin dictionary immediately to hand) that apparatus is a fourth declension Latin noun, with a plural apparatus (if you can do the thing with a horizontal line above the US bit) not apparati. Best not try to impress us with (non) classical learning.
In English, the number of words with Latin origin that call for a Latin plural as opposed to an ordinary English plural is very small, perhaps down to half a dozen, and even with Greek, French and Italian added, probably still short of a dozen: For example, lamina, laminae; radius, radii; fungus, fungi; addendum, addenda; phenomenon, phenomena; beau, beaux; bacterium, bacteria; cherub, cherubim; prima donna, prima donnas.
Relatively recently invented words formed (usually from Latin or Greek) are likely to have ordinary plurals rather than the plural that might have applied in the original language: thus referendum, referendums than referenda; forum, forums, not fora, stadiums not stadia etc
Berlusconi:
Kate Kennedy writes: Re. “(Grass)roots protests against Berlusconi say enough is enough” (yesterday, item 16). I have come to the conclusion that beautiful, sensuous Italy her citizens must be dead from the neck up. Why else would they elect Berlusconi?
A referendum:
Justin Templer writes: Re. “Richard Farmer’s chunky bits” (yesterday, item 14). In Richard Farmer’s chunky bits he expresses his surprise that the Swiss people voted decisively in a referendum to continue to allow army-issue weapons to be kept in the home.
Richard writes: “I had thought that given the choice citizens anywhere would be in favour of greater gun controls.”
Richard’s thoughts would be fine as a piece of comment if they were not preceded by the words “Maybe a referendum is not the way”.
Presumably the Farmer view is that the democratic choice offered by a referendum is not appropriate if the view of the people does not accord with his view.
Jack Wateford, you have a point, but it’s part of the joy of English to pursue non-standard pluralisations. Only a spoilsport would approve of addenda but not referenda – in fact in this case standardisation would argue the latter.
When I ask my 3yo son to pick up his octahedra I think I’m doing him a favour with a subtle hint about the word’s origins, rather than reinforcing the rigid ‘add s’ rule. He already has to know about sheep, fish, children, feet, people, men and women, and let’s not get started with all the irregular verbs …
Jack, I reckon you could add labia and labium – gettin’ close to the dozen now.
I remember on a trip to visit mates in Switzerland in the late 1970s, occasionally seeing singles and pairs of soldiers in camo fatigues travelling on public transport, some armed with a military style weapon. Eventually I was informed, in some detail which I’ve nearly forgotten now, that every male in that country attends compulsory military exercises annually; for the younger ones a couple, maybe three weeks, for older (up to about 45-50 I think), it was a couple of weekends. They always travel to the exercise place free on public transport. There were virtually no exceptions. All of them, except for the exceptions like paramedics etc, were issued with a military rifle which was kept in a ‘secure’ place in their home.
Many, many multi-storey apartment buildings have underground parking which is designed as a nuclear shelter. They talked about it. The Swiss are quietly proud of their reputation as secure bankers in the best-defended country in history. They kept the Nazis out, whatever that means. They believe it. This goes with that. They are all part of it – especially now that women have a vote – hey, things move slowly – it was the seventies remember! All the men in Switzerland have had a rite of passage that involves their defense contract with the state. Those men grew up to believe it is their responsibility.
I don’t know if any of that has changed but amidst all those contradictions, is it any wonder that a referendum, particularly this referendum, didn’t get up?
NGMCWN – datum/data. 11!
But the Italians are alive from the neck down, I suppose!