[Novalug] WAY OT: Latin noun plurals

[Bonnie Dalzell]

On Thu, 11 Dec 2008, Garrett Nievin wrote:

GN >BTW: Adjectives can be substantives and function like nouns, of course
GN >(think "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly").  It's still an adjective and
GN >still follows the same declension paradigm.

I English would we make these plural the same way we make plurals for 
sheep and deer?

No, because we have Goods in common use and Uglies but how about Bads - 
somehow the Bad for a group sounds ok but the Bads does not. Of course if 
there was an techno-rock group called the Bads we would get used to it.  



GN >
GN >Cheers,
GN >Garrett
GN >
GN >
GN >On Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:34:17 -0500
GN >Garrett Nievin <gnievin at comcast.net> wrote:
GN >
GN >> The term you can't recall is "Neuter".  Which literally means
GN >> "neither", as in "neither masculine nor feminine."
GN >> 
GN >> 
GN >> Second declension masculine nouns (e.g. gladius) have the -us ending in
GN >> the nominative singular and are masculine.  Nominative plural would be
GN >> gladii; change the -us to -i.  If "Prius" were a masculine noun, the
GN >> plural would be "Prii".  But it isn't, despite the deceptive -us suffix.
GN >> 
GN >> "Prius" is a neuter (masculine and feminine version are both "prior")
GN >> comparative adjective of the third declension (with two endings)
GN >> meaning "previous, preceding, prior, former; more fundamental, basic;
GN >> better, superior, preferable".  Cognate, of course, with English words
GN >> like "prior" and "priority".  Anyway, it certainly doesn't fit into the
GN >> masculine-second-declension-noun paradigm.  I won't get into all the
GN >> ins and outs of declensions of nouns and adjectives because it's deadly
GN >> boring.
GN >> 
GN >> Being a neuter adjective, of the third declension, the nominative
GN >> plural would be "priora".
GN >> 
GN >> Now I think I'll go pull out my copy of this and read it to my son
GN >> before bed (he loves it):
GN >> http://www.amazon.com/Quomodo-Invidiosulus-Grinchus-Christi-Abrogaverit/dp/0865164207/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229045283&sr=1-1
GN >> 
GN >> Cheers,
GN >> Garrett
GN >> 
GN >> Ecce potestas casei.
GN >> 
GN >> 
GN >> On Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:24:09 -0500
GN >> Charles M Howe <cmhowe at patriot.net> wrote:
GN >> 
GN >> > Only Latin scholars with massive domes, preferably bald and with
GN >> > magnificent snowy beards may even READ this.
GN >> > 
GN >> > The plural of stadium, which is neither male nor female (LOOONG senior
GN >> > moment: I can't remember the term), is stadia. What is the male ending.
GN >> > It might be a also.
GN >> > 
GN >> > Why do I ask? A nephew and family visited two weeks ago. John was
GN >> > driving a Prius. I remarked that if the John Howe family had another
GN >> > Prius it could be said that they had Pria. It cracked him up. It took a
GN >> > week and a half for it to sink in that I was probably incorrect.
GN >> > 
GN >> > Charlie, whose Latin skills can be detected  -- well, I don't think they
GN >> > CAN be detected
GN >> > 
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GN >> > 
GN >> 
GN >> 
GN >> 
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GN >
GN >
GN >
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                       Bonnie Dalzell, MA
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