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Welcome aBoard, Poss. Work in a zoo, do you? Funny, most of my workplaces have had a strong resemblance to zoos. 
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Re: Funny, most of my workplaces have had a strong resemblance to zoos.
consuelo, it just such usage of the word zoo that is leading the NY Zoological society to avoid the use of the term ZOO --they are actually trying to change the name of NY's zoos.
its a pretty thankless task, (every one says bronx zoo, not the NY Zoological society park
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elephants, in zoos collections, are becoming a rarity. most enlightened zoos realize that elephants are social animals, and keeping only one or two elephants borders on cruelty. most zoo's don't have the facilities to have a herd--(for most of my life the bronx zoo has always had at least 3 indian elephants, often as many as 8) and most zoo's are not replacing elephants (as they die) or trading them away while still in relatively good health, to zoos that can maintain groups.
Tus was the matriarch for a while, at the bronx zoo.(i used to know many of the elephants by sight (and name). i don't go to the zoo as often these days, and some of the animals (siblings) have been traded to other zoos to prevent inbreding.
happy and grumpy (sibling) are gone.
Last edited by of troy; 06/28/06 02:48 PM.
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OP
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If one says oases rather than oasises, algae rather than algas, criteria rather than criterions, and bureaux rather than bureaus, why not orang-orang rather than orangs?
Bingley
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Because we are at least vaguely familiar with the languages that give us the plurals oases, algae, criteria, and even, heaven forfend, bureaux (although most folk I know don't use *that plural). Some of us know enough Japanese to know that the plural of haiku is haiku but you will still find a lot of people who use haikus.
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This makes me want to go hear operae. A whole ring full.
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Quote:
This makes me want to go hear operae. A whole ring full.
Except opera is already a plural. The singular is opus.
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Except opera is already a plural. The singular is opus.
Except in English where opera is singular, and its plural is operas. (Cf. virus and viruses: in Latin there is no plural of virus.)
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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From Snopes : Yet another group of Latin nouns in -us follow different rules. If you're still taking notes, these form another subset of the third declension. Typically in these cases the singular does not include the full root. The plural of genus is genera (not genuses and certainly not geni). In English the plural of opus (meaning a creative work) is opera (or opuses). In Latin, opera was originally the plural of opus, but in both Latin and English, opera can correctly be treated as a singular. In English the plural of opera (the thing that ain't over till the fat lady sings) is operas. When opera is used as a singular in Latin (where it meant more of less the same thing as opus), the correct plural is operae, but this is rarely if ever used in English. Just trying to make operae a little less <ahem> rare, fellas.
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In English the plural of opera (the thing that ain't over till the fat lady sings) is operas. When opera is used as a singular in Latin (where it meant more of less the same thing as opus), the correct plural is operae, but this is rarely if ever used in English.
I stand corrected. I should've known. Some neuter plurals in Greek are treated as singular in form. There's still no plural in Latin for virus 'poison' or pelagus 'sea'.
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
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One of the definitions for opera in Lewis and Short is pains. Pretty much what it means in English, as far as I see it.
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