Conversation with an English teacher

[webman]

Or, a fleet of fire-engi attended the scene...?

 

Not really. Because engine is already pluralised as engines

[enjay]

Ohh! I should mention virii then!

 

And fora, when referring to more than one forum such as edugeek. Also, make sure you correct the PE staff if they talk about sports stadiums.

[Irazmus]

Heh. Yeah...I do an odd one with that, I always always say "Viruses..oh er..I mean virii"

 

Viruses is in fact the proper term. I prefer the sound of Virii but apparently that's wrong.

 

14) Is it viruses, virii or what?

What's the Plural of 'Virus'?

[K.C.Leblanc]

He's a she?

 

No she is a he

 

Oddy enough I started by writing She and had to do a Ninja edit. I'm glad I'm not the only confused one. Can I call sheep, sheeps since I've only been aware of them since 1982.

[sparkeh]

Viruses is in fact the proper term. I prefer the sound of Virii but apparently that's wrong.

 

14) Is it viruses, virii or what?

What's the Plural of 'Virus'?

 

right thats it - I'm switching to a less confusing language!

[jamesb]

right thats it - I'm switching to a less confusing language!

 

Lojban : Lojban maybe?

[sippo]

Reminds me of:

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YllyBr_4Kxk]YouTube - Dans and Alan Partridge's first meeting[/ame]

 

Alan Partridge = Pure genius.

[cromertech]

Lojban : Lojban maybe?

 

That sounds like a brilliant idea. There are way too many ambiguities in English regarding plurals.

 

I must admit that I use mouses myself much to the displeasure of the ICT teachers who seem intent on teaching the subject with mice anyway.

 

Maybe you could apply this unusual plural logic to other peripherals such as keybi and printa

[synaesthesia]

Virus - in terms of medical infection, it's Virii.

Although very much like a medical infection but in computing terms, PC infections of such are viruses.

 

And mouses? Horrible word. It even sounds wrong

[PiqueABoo]

Virus - in terms of medical infection, it's Virii.

Although very much like a medical infection but in computing terms, PC infections of such are viruses.

 

Akshully.. it's just "malware" which:

 

a) Keeps literacy pedants off your back

b) Keeps tech pedants off your back ("..strictly speaking that one is a worm/trojan/blah/blah").

c) Is good enough.

[synaesthesia]

Fair play, quite like "malware" as it covers it all

[mac_shinobi]

right thats it - I'm switching to a less confusing language!

 

Aloha in hawai - then you won't know if your coming or going

[enjay]

Lojban : Lojban maybe?

 

I believe that Yiddish (a Jewish prayer language) is similar, in that it is entirely regular and phonetic. Esperanto is (was?) too, I think...

[powdarrmonkey]

b) Keeps tech pedants off your back ("..strictly speaking that one is a worm/trojan/blah/blah").

 

This is me

[enjay]

@powdarmonkey - me too, except I am both a technical pedant and a linguistic pendant!

 

Using the word "me" there reminds me of another irritation, namely people who can't work out when to use "me" or "I". Contrary to popular belief, there are contexts where it is correct to say "John and me", for example, "please give some money to John and me". If John wasn't there, you would say "give it to me", so it is right to say "give it to John and me".

[enjay]

"please give some money to myself and John" ???

 

Don't think so. "Please give some money to myself" would be wrong, therefore so would "...myself and John".

[sparkeh]

Using the word "me" there reminds me of another irritation, namely people who can't work out when to use "me" or "I".

 

My pet hate

 

Don't know why it irritates me so much but it does. I correct people, then I look like the idiot, whats up with that?

[witch]

From another linguistic pedant:

The old english plural of shoe was in fact shoen (not shoon). This was a common plural usage - also used for example in housen - but it only survives now in 'children' (modern usage would have it as 'childs') and brethren.

Thought you'd like to know!!

[GrumbleDook]

And you will find many a grizzled SysAdmin talking about a variety of boxen and UPSen when the speak about their server farm and contents.

 

Anyway ... 1 d0|\|'7 (4r3 \/\/|-|@ j00Z L0$3r$ 7|-|1|\||<. 7|-|3 0|\|L'/ (0rr3(7 \/\/4'/ 70 $P34|< 1$ L1|<3 7|-|1$, dUD3$!

[powdarrmonkey]

My pet hate

 

Don't know why it irritates me so much but it does. I correct people, then I look like the idiot, whats up with that?

 

I do: it's when people say 'we' when they mean 'you':

 

"Can we make sure the hall is set up ten minutes ago?"

"Is it going to work or will we need to find a better solution?"

 

etc (usually ad nauseum).

[GrumbleDook]

"please give some money to myself and John" ???

 

It would only be correct if used in the first person.

 

"I gave money to myself and John."

"I am giving money to myself and John."

"I will give money to myself and John."

 

It is to do with the ordering within the sentence, as well as the stress on the active party or recipient of the action (kudos for the person who can name the correct term for this!). The common usage would by 'me' rather than 'myself', but in this instance 'myself' would not be incorrect. If it is not first person then it is incorrect.

 

Let's all go learn Esperanto.

[GrumbleDook]

I do: it's when people say 'we' when they mean 'you':

 

"Can we make sure the hall is set up ten minutes ago?"

"Is it going to work or will we need to find a better solution?"

 

etc (usually ad nauseum).

 

This is not incorrect. A manager or person in responsibility may use the term 'we' to place emphasis on the fact that although work will be undertaken by 'you', the task has involved both of you ... the other person playing the role of manager, supervisor or pain in the neck that looks over your shoulder all the time!

 

Within Managlement Speak (a specialist language the same way Geek, legalese or medical jargonitis is used) has many such examples where the phrasing or order of words conveys different meanings. Most of them have the same effect on the non-manglement speaking person ... abject hatred and frustration, followed by a desire for plain English.

[User3204]

Saturday morning cartoons has taught me the plural is mices, and therefore the singular is mice...

 

As in Jinksy the cat.. " I hate those mices to pieces".. about Pixie and Dixie..

 

So I usually refer to them a mices.. just to confuse people.. but I think I might change to mouses.. as it would be better at confusing people.

 

 

I do get a little amused by the misuse of "momentarily".. which means "for a moment" not "in a moment".. so there's always the classic response, "oh, well if you're too busy..."

[witch]

I do get a little amused by the misuse of "momentarily".. which means "for a moment" not "in a moment".. so there's always the classic response, "oh, well if you're too busy..."

 

Yes, in the UK it does but the USA increasingly use it to mean in a moment. The announcements on trains that tell you that the train will move 'momentarily' always made us laugh!

[powdarrmonkey]

This is not incorrect. A manager or person in responsibility may use the term 'we' to place emphasis on the fact that although work will be undertaken by 'you', the task has involved both of you ... the other person playing the role of manager, supervisor or pain in the neck that looks over your shoulder all the time!

 

Within Managlement Speak (a specialist language the same way Geek, legalese or medical jargonitis is used) has many such examples where the phrasing or order of words conveys different meanings. Most of them have the same effect on the non-manglement speaking person ... abject hatred and frustration, followed by a desire for plain English.

 

True; my second example wasn't a very good one. (ooo, semi-colon )

 

The annoying thing, I think, isn't the 'we' implication, but the simultaneous attempt by managements to appear to be part of a workforce and enjoy the perks that come with being above it. 'We'-ism is particularly bad here, and it's almost certainly by example - the Head and DHs use it, and gradually everybody else also seems to be doing so, except me.

 

I agree management jargon is a specialist language of its own, but it's very different to the scientific basis of medical jargon - it seems to come and go in fads of phrases like 'going forwards', 'touching base', 'from the get-go', etc. They don't actually mean anything, otherwise they'd last longer - it's just that all the cool kids are saying them. Most of it's just plain patronising, including a lot of uses of we-ism.

 

(I feel much better now )

Edited July 8, 2009 by powdarrmonkey