# "Penii" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 8, 2006, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penii/375717 "2006-10-08T15:32:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2006, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penii/375717/21 "2006-10-08T17:42:04Z")
[QUOTE=Polycarp] …interurban bi… [/QUOTE] Sounds like a travelling friend of mine. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2006, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penii/375717/22 "2006-10-08T17:44:53Z")
Nah, the truly feculent sprung pluralizations are found on Internet gamer sites: katana, katanae. ninja, ninjae. This should be punishable by death. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2006, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penii/375717/23 "2006-10-08T18:08:10Z")
Yeah, well what about the whole data/datum, fora/forum nonsense? Huh? Hah? There are several good limericks in all this. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2006, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penii/375717/24 "2006-10-08T18:28:38Z")
[QUOTE=Helen’s Eidolon] Exactly. And the ENGLISH pluralization is ‘octopuses’. [/QUOTE] I didn’t realize, having only grown up speaking english that the commonly used word octopi is not an actual english word. It’s some sort of nonsense word that every single fluent english speaker understands the meaning of immediately. Silly me, thinking that the people who speak the language determine the makeup of the language. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2006, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penii/375717/25 "2006-10-08T18:36:09Z")
[QUOTE=Helen’s Eidolon] I have to admit, I think that, with very few exceptions, once a word has been borrowed into English, we should pluralize it like an English word and forget the older pluralization. [/QUOTE] “With very few exceptions”? Many words we’ve stolen have retained their original singular and plural inflected forms. Besides, there isn’t really a single set rule for pluralization in English: “oxen”, “children”, “criteria”, “matrices”, “plants”, “flies”… the list goes on and on. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2006, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penii/375717/26 "2006-10-08T18:43:56Z")
My current pluralization pet-peeve is from World of Warcraft. The plural of shaman is [_shamans_](http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/shaman). Not “shamen” or just “shaman.” **Shamans**. Gah!!! Even Blizzard only gets it right half the time. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2006, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penii/375717/27 "2006-10-08T18:49:24Z")
[QUOTE=Helen’s Eidolon] I can’t agree with you more. It’s like ‘octopi’. For heaven’s sake, just say octopuses! [/QUOTE] If one octopus has eight legs, wouldn’t two of them critters be a hexapus? ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2006, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penii/375717/28 "2006-10-08T18:51:50Z")
[QUOTE=Helen’s Eidolon] I can’t agree with you more. It’s like ‘octopi’. For heaven’s sake, just say octopuses! [/QUOTE] And ignoring the correctness of the spelling wouldn’t the pronunciation be oct-o-pee instead of what I believe they say, oct-o-pie. Doubly wrong! ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2006, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penii/375717/29 "2006-10-08T18:54:47Z")
[QUOTE=Musicat] If one octopus has eight legs, wouldn’t two of them critters be a hexapus? [/QUOTE] No, that would be a hexadecapus. A hexapus would have six legs. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2006, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penii/375717/30 "2006-10-08T18:56:26Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] No, that would be a hexadecapus. A hexapus would have six legs. [/QUOTE] I thought it would be an _insect_ that has six legs. ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2006, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penii/375717/31 "2006-10-08T18:57:36Z")
[QUOTE=Cheesesteak] I didn’t realize, having only grown up speaking english that the commonly used word octopi is not an actual english word. It’s some sort of nonsense word that every single fluent english speaker understands the meaning of immediately. Silly me, thinking that the people who speak the language determine the makeup of the language. [/QUOTE] It’s not my fault that some pretentious guy made up the word and other people listened. I would still feel stupid saying it, and do not look particularly kindly on the verbal skills of those who do say it. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2006, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penii/375717/32 "2006-10-08T18:57:59Z")
[QUOTE=Helen’s Eidolon] Exactly. And the ENGLISH pluralization is ‘octopuses’. Not the fake, incorrect, pretentious ‘octopi’. [/QUOTE] Maybe, but “octopi” sounds better than “octopuses.” It’s our damn language, we can pluralize however we want. ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2006, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penii/375717/33 "2006-10-08T18:59:51Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] Maybe, but “octopi” sounds better than “octopuses.” It’s our damn language, we can pluralize however we want. [/QUOTE] No, I think there should be a law enacted. Death to all octopi-ers! But seriously, obviously you can pluralize it however you want. Doesn’t mean that it isn’t dumb. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2006, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penii/375717/34 "2006-10-08T19:01:24Z")
[QUOTE=kaylasdad99] I thought it would be an _insect_ that has six legs. [/QUOTE] Yes, and spiders have eight legs. What’s your point? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2006, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penii/375717/35 "2006-10-08T19:04:10Z")
Since we’re on the subject of pet peeves: I’m an alumni of that school. ---
**Author:** ![britboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/59ef9b/32.png) [@britboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/britboy)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2006, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penii/375717/36 "2006-10-08T19:21:24Z")
[QUOTE=Cheesesteak] I didn’t realize, having only grown up speaking english that the commonly used word octopi is not an actual english word. It’s some sort of nonsense word that every single fluent english speaker understands the meaning of immediately. Silly me, thinking that the people who speak the language determine the makeup of the language. [/QUOTE] I agree - language **is** determined by usage. And, to that extent I suppose penii is a legitimate plural for penis in English. Similarly for katanae in the restricted dialect of internet gamers - that’s the plural and that’s that. Lord knows the Japanese have butchered a good proportion of the English language - most people just can’t see it, being unable to read katakana. Rather, my beef is with the people. Often, certainly in my experience, the person who says penii is being pretentious and trying to assert their superiority. Fine, I suppose, if they really are classically educated and say penes - what really drives me up the wall is those who combine arrogance with ignorance. (And it is ignorance in this case - my friend certainly believed that the latin plural is penii, and that ‘knowing’ this makes her better than other people). britboy ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2006, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penii/375717/37 "2006-10-08T19:50:36Z")
This was covered recently - and somewhat heatedly - in Great Debates: link [here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=384079) “Octopi” is still wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2006, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penii/375717/38 "2006-10-08T20:12:47Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] Yes, but _octopi_ is a proper Latin pluralization. _Penii_ is not. Using the word _octopi_ may be pretentious, but at least it’s correct. [/QUOTE] Como talle vu, Q.E.D.? ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2006, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penii/375717/39 "2006-10-08T20:14:05Z")
[QUOTE=Scissorjack] This was covered recently - and somewhat heatedly - in Great Debates: link [here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=384079) “Octopi” is still wrong. [/QUOTE] I can’t believe I missed that. I also cannot believe, CANNOT BELIEVE, that a board as generally educated as this would say Pliny was responsible for anglicizing the plural of ‘pegasus’ as ‘pegasi’. His translator, maybe. But he himself wrote “pinnatos equos” (so the nominative would be pinnati equi - feathered horses). Pliny had nothing to do with the **anglicization** of anything. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2006, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penii/375717/40 "2006-10-08T20:24:37Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] Yes, and spiders have eight legs. What’s your point? [/QUOTE] Sweet Mother of Mercy! I need to have a point? Well, let’s give it a shot. SDMB threads, particularly on language and usage issues, often become more fun for the reader when some silliness gets thrown into the mix. My point was to get the ball rolling, by pretending to not understand the concept of the excluded middle. I guess it wasn’t as funny as I thought it would be… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penii/375717.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/penii/375717.md?page=3)