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Hypercorrection

In linguistics, hypercorrection is defined as usage of some rule of pronunciation or grammatical prescription that many users of a language consider incorrect, but that the speaker or writer uses through misunderstanding of these rules, often combined with a desire to seem formal or educated.

The noun octopus is often made plural in English as octopi, originally from the mistaken belief that it is of Latin origin and that all Latin nouns ending in -us take -i to form their plural. However, this is correct only for Latin masculine nouns of the second declension. In fact, octopus is derived from Greek, not Latin. Octopuses is generally considered correct in modern English, but the plural in Greek is octopodes.

submitted by exempli-gratia

Notes

  1. lonersnotebook reblogged this from wordythings
  2. wordythings reblogged this from readmorewikipedia
  3. thunderousapplause reblogged this from readmorewikipedia and added:
    those octopodes…..
  4. camouflagecamouflage reblogged this from readmorewikipedia
  5. vernate reblogged this from readmorewikipedia
  6. octoplosion reblogged this from readmorewikipedia and added:
    Of course they use...example! Actually,...are socially...
  7. cogsandgears reblogged this from colbyjackcunt and added:
    WHAT EVERYTHING I THOUGHT I KNEW IS A LIE. DOES THIS MEAN THAT THE PLURAL OF PENIS IS NOT PENII BUT IS IN FACT PENODE!?
  8. colbyjackcunt reblogged this from readmorewikipedia
  9. whatifitdoes reblogged this from indielowercase and added:
    Linguistics AND Greek…this makes me pretty happy.
  10. sunnydispositions reblogged this from readmorewikipedia
  11. sententiola reblogged this from junkmanchoir and added:
    See also ‘Would you like to go for lunch with Paulo and I?’ Ack.
  12. nikariot reblogged this from readmorewikipedia and added:
    I will definitely now be using...word OCTOPODES. (which firefox
  13. mellymouse reblogged this from readmorewikipedia and added:
    THE OCTOPODES AGAIN!
  14. behindskylines reblogged this from readmorewikipedia
  15. pobody reblogged this from readmorewikipedia and added:
    Genii works. I always thought it was...hypercorrection, but “when referring
  16. creamandteaparty reblogged this from readmorewikipedia
  17. middlemuse reblogged this from ada-or-ardor and added:
    REPRESENT! (Incidentally, this is why I advocate anglicized plurals. It’s not like you pronounce “cacti” correctly...
  18. cardboardstudios reblogged this from readmorewikipedia and added:
    get on using “octopodes”...conversation, stat!
  19. xjxvx reblogged this from readmorewikipedia
  20. wonderlandismyhome reblogged this from readmorewikipedia
  21. psychaesthesia reblogged this from triskaidecagon
  22. lauracricket reblogged this from readmorewikipedia and added:
    GASP. I am shocked. Shocked, I tell you.
  23. anoteinpink reblogged this from ada-or-ardor and added:
    So many people give plurals the wrong endings and I want to strangle them. Greek and Latin have ruined me.
  24. chipotaple reblogged this from readmorewikipedia
  25. velvetrobots reblogged this from readmorewikipedia
  26. jonjwlee reblogged this from readmorewikipedia
  27. prospectiveprospector reblogged this from readmorewikipedia

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