Quote:
Originally Posted by SupDock
Octopodes maybe the proper Greek pluralization, but that doesn't mean that other plural forms are incorrect. We are speaking English, not Greek
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Well sure, that's true in a sense. English is very much so a mutt language, and it has exceptions and counter intuitive rules all over the place, due to its combinations of romantic language roots (coming from Latin originally), proto Germanic roots, and Greek roots, with a smattering of other influences as well. Fundamentally, as well, whatever is understood is correct, since the whole point of language is to convey meaning.
"Ain't" is "wrong" in that "aren't", "I'm not", and other contractions are "proper", but "ain't" is in the dictionary, because it's used and understood, and thus is a word. It wasn't in there 20 years ago, but language evolves. So yeah, Octopuses and Octopi are valid because they're understood, and as such whether or not they're "correct" hardly matters. When I said that I'm referring to what the pluralization "should" be, if English were a consistent and well designed language for which everyone understood and followed all the rules.
Again super nerdy, but I find language fascinating.