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I remember this mostly because my boss at the time referred to Pentiums in the plural as "Pentia". "Pentia". Let that one sink in. He also was a chain smoker
by jfb 16y ago
I remember this mostly because my boss at the time referred to Pentiums in the plural as "Pentia". "Pentia". Let that one sink in. He also was a chain smoker who would carry his ashtray and smokes into the machine room and then wonder why the big Power Challenge had mysterious SCSI bus problems. Good times.
- barrkel 16y agoI'm not really picking up why it's so reprehensible for someone to jokingly pluralize Pentiums as Pentia. Can you explain?
- jfb 16y agoIt wasn't a joke.
- barrkel 16y agoIt's odd, but someone actually downvoted me for getting you to clarify that. Haters gonna hate, I guess.
- larelli 16y agoAnd it wasn't incorrect either. -um is the ending for neutrums (actually neutra) and -a is the plural thereof.
- jfb 16y agoTrue, except in that Pentium is an English neologism, and thus is pluralized like an English noun. Don't get me started on the plurals of octopus or virus, please.
- merijnv 16y agoWell, if my Latin knowledge hasn't abandoned me -um is the ending for masculine words whereas -a is used for feminine words. I suppose the proper plural of Pentium would be Pentii :p
- drinian 16y ago-um would generally be a neutral-gendered noun in Latin. (You're thinking of -us as a masculine ending). Thus, Pentia is the correct pluralization. However, Pentium was at best a pseudo-Latin brand name to begin with, and Pentiums is likely the least wrong pluralization in English.
- merijnv 16y agoYeah, you're right now that I think about it (the example that reminded me is pluralizing walrus to walri). Personally I do this sort of thing just for personal amusement (as I imagine this persons boss did) rather then actual correctness.