Subject: Re: tc-list Plural of "apparatus"

From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 20:46:21 +0100

>>>The nominative plural of apparatus is apparatus, with a long u, not
>>>apparati.
>>
>>OK, I checked my dictionary, and it's true -- the plural of "apparatus"
>>is "apparatus" or (gack!) "apparatuses." (Don't blame me for that last....)
>>But I, at least, was taught that, in English, the proper plural of
>>all nouns ending in -us was -i. So how did this mess arise? And how
>>do we settle which nouns fall into which class without constantly
>>referring to the dictionary?
>
>Dear Bob,
>This is not "a mess" but perfectly logical.
> -us -i nouns are second declension. us -us nouns are fourth declension.
>If this is really a problem what are you doing on the TC list?
>

Bob,do not despair. Sometimes one can choose between declensions. Even
Cicero wrote 'acta'. So instead of the plural 'actus' (apostolorum) you may
also write 'acta'.

Michael Bakker
Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies

- Si tacuisses, philosophus mansisses -