CompuServe Messages

David, <<I did mean styli or styluses. Seems strange that a word can have 2 valid plurals! >> Actually, the reason is pretty straightforward. Stylus is a Latin word, and in Latin the plural of a -us noun is -i. However, when words migrate into English we frequently cram their morphology into the square peg -> round hole of English, which generally prefers an ending of -s or -es. So, if you are corresponding with a classical scholar, she or he might (if rude enough) correct your use of "styluses" but most English speakers would understand what you meant. However, many English speakers are likely to not understand "styli." You have to make a choice sometimes between being "correct" and being able to communicate. Kathy <<– BA, Linguistics, Univ. of Hawaii, 1985