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Subject:Re: Data and other foreign plurals From:Beverly Parks <bparks -at- HUACHUCA-EMH1 -dot- ARMY -dot- MIL> Date:Thu, 23 Mar 1995 06:58:25 MST
RoMay Sitze wrote--
> Has something changed? I am aware that data has fallen into accepted
> usage as both singular and plural--except to the purist. But I have
> lived in the desert all my life and have rarely heard the plural of
> cactus as anything but cacti. Regardless of the reasons for the origin
> of the word, it is much easier to pronounce than trying to say cactuses
> (I assume that would be the alternative. The only people I've ever heard
> use that form of the word are small children.)
Well, RoMay, I don't know about the NM desert, but here in the
AZ desert cactuses are fairly common, though cacti *are* more
prevalent. ;-)
Seriously, I've heard both plural forms used with about the same
frequency. But you'll probably never hear a botanist say
"cactuses."
According to American Heritage and Webster's II (the only two
dictionaries I have available at the moment), both forms are
entirely acceptable.
=*= Beverly Parks =*= bparks -at- huachuca-emh1 -dot- army -dot- mil =*=
=*= "Unless otherwise stated, all comments are my own. =*=
=*= I am not representing my employer in any way." =*=
