Random Thought: Plural

[kaasirpent]

Why isn't "fora" the plural for "forum"?

Comments

[dorsai.livejournal.com]

Because we speak English, not Latin?

That's my guess, anyway.

[kaasirpent]

Then it should be datums, alumnuses, and radiuses. :)

[dorsai.livejournal.com]

You can't use the word 'should' when describing English, you know better than that. :)

[tool-of-satan.livejournal.com]

"fora" is a legitimate English plural of "forum," it's just less common than "forums."

re: why

[etherial.livejournal.com]

fora is for pretentious gits. The same people who use "fen", generally.

Re: re: why

[kaasirpent]

I use "fen" when referring to an area of wet, flat land. Is there another meaning?

Re: why

[etherial.livejournal.com]

"fen" is sometimes used as a plural of "fantasy/sci-fi fan".

Re: why

[kaasirpent]

Oh. I guess I pluralize that as "geeks." :)

[islenskr.livejournal.com]

I have always used 'fora'. Of course, I also use 'indices', 'matrices', 'appendices' and 'addenda'.

However, I have never heard of 'fen' as a plural for 'fantasy/sci-fi fan'. The correct plural is 'fans' (I would also say 'fantasy/science fiction fans').

[peteyfrogboy.livejournal.com]

An enlightening answer to the same basic question: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFyY2mK8pxk

[sydneygb.livejournal.com]

I loved that video! 'Octopodes'? Never knew that. And the woman in the video is awesome. Now where can I see some octopi, you ignorant slobs? ;D

[thespian.livejournal.com]

well, no. within the community, it would not be the correct plural. if you haven't heard it used, you probably don't attend non-profit cons.

[thespian.livejournal.com]

it's not?

Re: why

[thespian.livejournal.com]

most fen are geeks. all geeks, however, are not fen.

from a conversation earlier:

them: Part of the point of having a party staff is to avoid SPOFs that make people gafiate.
me: I am not sure we're even speaking english anymore.
them: Anything inscrutable?
me: no. it just occurred to me that I totally understood it, but that it would totally baffle nonfen.
them: I'm glad we're in the right organization then.
me: also it was cross-geek! both a techish term and a fandom one! you are bi-geek-lingual!

[islenskr.livejournal.com]

I don't. But I am an editor, so I'm rather attached to dictionaries. In looking up 'fen' as the plural of 'fan', I had to do quite bit of digging and found it only on the internet. Because it's not used very widely (the percentage of those English speakers who attend non-profit cons compared to those who don't is pretty tiny) and hasn't been around that long, I'm guessing it's just a fad word. 'Fen' will stick around as a descriptor of a particular wetland and not as a plural of 'fan'.

[thespian.livejournal.com]

Actually, it was a term created in a conversation 40 years ago similar to this one; if man is men, then fan is fen. It happened within is an extremely literate subculture, and is pretty extensively used there. Most of the editors I know (and I probably spoke with about 40 this past weekend) tend to be amused about that sort of wordplay. Good luck in the upcoming decade or two.