to wince every time I see "fora"?

[Mardymwahhaha]

The word forum has become naturalised as an English word surely? Can't people just say forums and stop showing off that they know using the Latin.

Sorry I've just reread your post properly Hazel and realised that you have hoist yourself on your own petard.

It's one of those irregular verbs, isn't it dikkert.

I'm using correct English
You are dumbing down
He/She is a poncey twat

ooh, ooh, did you know that 'petard' comes from an old word for fart?!
You prob knew that but most do not.

Actually scrap that, it doesn't really make sense.

what was my petard, btw? How did I hoist it?

Hazel Hadn't really thought about about that. Presumably from "péter" in French.

Hazel "being the true geek I am, I could argue with myself to say that by its very nature, language must evolve..."

I like a good linguistic discussion. Where's Psammead when I need her?

Actually discussion is a bit of a misnomer. More a stream of consciousness with the odd interruption.

I bet you say octopusses as well don't you, you utter wrongun'?

Ah, intentionally hoisted - yes. Thought you were saying that I'd caught myself in a trap and not noticed! Which was very likely true also.

IIRC, it's from the Latin pedere / peditum, then Old, then Middle French.

Maybe Psammead has better manners than I do, and didn't want to interrupt?!

How about phenomena?
Lots seem to use it as the singular - should we forget phenomenon?

Well I don't generally have a lot of octopusses in my life. But I'd probably risk a little controversy eurochick

Aah phenomena may be my downfall.

Hazel, you have inspired me to google petard. Apparently an exploding squib thing. Anyway I have to go now. Will leave you all to pick apart all my inconsistencies.

I wasn't aware that forum/fora is a verb Mardymwahhaha

then again I am not English and where I come from we are proud to teach correct grammar and spelling ...

...you're either forum or againstum...
......or fora or againsta
:(

Oh I love a bad pun, Elbowfan!

dikkert - I don't think I did say it was a verb, but cba to go back and check!

If it is correct it is correct...thinking it looks poncy doesn't change that!

Mardy "Does anyone order a single panino?"

Why yes, yes I do. And every time the braindead moron person serving says "do you mean a panini?"
No love, I would like a panino. Panini means I want more than one. I am not a fat bastard greedy person.

Fora. The important question, of course, is: Lexuses or Lexi?

I wrote about atria at work today

Fora bad. Termini bad. Stadia bad. But phenomena and alumni ok. Am I inconsistent or just in the vanguard of language use?

Someone in our paper wrote that she was an alumnus of our local university. I did think that she should just have written graduate instead.

She is an alumna, not alumnus.

What is wrong with using accurate words? Is the language not shrinking enough we have to call correct usage wanky and pretentious?

Language is fluid and it does change, but you don't need to force it nor deride people who use it differently to you.