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From: rdd@usa1.com (Aaron J. Dinkin)
Subject: Re: Languages worse and worse
Message-ID: <rdd-1308961045550001@dmn1-29.usa1.com>
Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 10:45:55 -0500
References: <4s9otl$1pt@dfw-ixnews6.ix.netcom.com> <705.6771T494T2133@gulf.net> <31EFCDC5.1629@trl.telstra.com.au> <31EF1E8A.3440@frontiernet.net> <31f09c4b.25641454@news.airmail.net> <4sr6ll$r0a@homer.alpha.net> <31F10405.502A@execpc.com> <31f186eb.75704 <4uooma$an1@dailyplanet.wam.umd.edu>
Lines: 22

In article <4uooma$an1@dailyplanet.wam.umd.edu>, peabody@wam.umd.edu (C A
R) wrote:

> 24@nntp.ix.netcom.com> <4tlccr$3hc@oden.abc.se> <4toan9$dkh@news.nd.edu>:
> Distribution: 
> 
> Thomas Scharle (scharle@ubiquity.cc.nd.edu) wrote:
> 
> 
> :    And then there's the cutesy plural "Vaxen".  People seem to like
> : to make pseudo-Latin plurals such as "virus/viri", and even "Elvis/Elvi".
>                                                                      ^^^^
> 
> That's "Elvii"! :) :)

"Elves", actually. (/'Elviz/ in English, /elwe:s/ in Latin.)

And "virus" was a Latin word, but its (unattested) plural was probably
"vira", not "viri" - all neuter nouns had nom/acc pl. in -a.

-Aaron J. Dinkin
Dr. Whom

