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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204 |
kindergartners !! Is this what children use to hold there snocks up? 
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,819 |
In reply to:
An interesting concept, to be at once singular and plural. Where does "apparatus" fit in this schema? It isn't really "just another" collective noun, but one is hard put to decide on a sensible plural.
Huh? Since when is "apparatus" a collective noun? You could have one apparatus or two apparati, right? Or am I on crack?
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,204 |
You could have one apparatus or two apparati, right? Or am I on crack?
On the other hand, a pair a twos equals four - or else is the start of a low value prile.
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
>You could have one apparatus or two apparati, right? Or am I on crack?
according to the apparatus of both major sets of lexicographers, you would appear to be cracked in some manner. the plural is given as apparatuses or apparatus, US preference; other way, UK. (OED does mark the plural as "rare".)
actually, it works much like 'furniture'.
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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,535 Likes: 1
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,535 Likes: 1 |
...one apparatus or two apparati, right?
Not sure that's the right paradigm even in the original Latin. I recall being told that apparatus is something like a fifth declension noun, and so the plural is not -us, -i but rather -us, -us with a long u, whatever that is.
Anybody left among us who knows Latin? Mine is only by osmosis, and I would jump at the opportunity to be better informed...
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
fifth declension noun, and so the plural is not -us, -i but rather -us, -usIf it is 5th declension I think the nominative plural would be apparates but I won't swear. My noun decliner on my machine here at work only goes up to 3rd declension. The genitive singular would be apparatus. Lessee what AHD has to say, if anything useful. FWIW, it lists the plurals (it has two) as apparatus and apparatuses. When giving the Latin it doesn't use a long u in the -us suffix and I believe the -us in the nominative singular has a long u. Well, I went here ( http://catholic.archives.nd.edu/cgi-bin/lookup.pl?stem=apparat&ending=us) and it looks like it's 4th declension, but the plural would be apparatus.
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
Yup. It's 4th declension and the plural is apparatus with a long u. The singular is with a short u.
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,189
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,189 |
>You could have one apparatus or two apparati, right? Or am I on crack?And you could have one Jazzoctopus or two Jazzoctupi, right? Ergo, one architectus or two architecti. 
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,094
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,094 |
two architectiooo. . . I think I'll have to adopt that.
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
BOHICA. I think you-all are architecting new rules for this ol' language...(hi, tsuwm).
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