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04 Jul 15
00:05
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Date Joined:
14 Sep 04
When discussing the Greek situation, Sky News keeps mentioning ultimatums. I know in today's dumbed down society this is probably considered acceptable usage, but shouldn't the correct term really be ultimata?
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not all "ums" follow the rule... I'm fairly certain that, among others, "stadiums" is correct as opposed to "stadia". I'm not sure what the criterion are though 
Jul 3, 2015 -- 6:42PM, MisterBadger wrote:
not all "ums" follow the rule... I'm fairly certain that, among others, "stadiums" is correct as opposed to "stadia". I'm not sure what the criterion are though
"amongst" ... hth
Think you can use either ultimatums or ultimata depending on whether or not you want to sound like a pedant or not.
With Stadium have heard stadia used quite a lot... even by football commentators, although either is valid.
With Stadium have heard stadia used quite a lot... even by football commentators, although either is valid.
"I'm not sure what the criterion is ..."
or
"I'm not sure what the criteria are ..."
Both "amongst" and "whilst" are poncey and archaic. Their use instead of "among" or "while" is restricted to estate agents. Hth.
A stadion in ancient Greece was a length equal to a furlong and the distance of races alongside which spectators watched. Hence the adoption of its Latin form stadium to mean the building in which you watch sports.
The plural of stadion or stadium is indeed stadia (like criterion/criteria), but the English word isn't really referring to the same thing as the Greek word. In effect it's a new English word, so stadiums ought to be the correct plural. I agree with Mister Badger on this one.
Ultimatum is the neuter singular of the Latin adjective ultimatus, meaning last (thing), and the neuter plural is indeed ultimata, so I can see why that could be the plural of the English word.
But it still sounds poncey to me.
or
"I'm not sure what the criteria are ..."
Both "amongst" and "whilst" are poncey and archaic. Their use instead of "among" or "while" is restricted to estate agents. Hth.
A stadion in ancient Greece was a length equal to a furlong and the distance of races alongside which spectators watched. Hence the adoption of its Latin form stadium to mean the building in which you watch sports.
The plural of stadion or stadium is indeed stadia (like criterion/criteria), but the English word isn't really referring to the same thing as the Greek word. In effect it's a new English word, so stadiums ought to be the correct plural. I agree with Mister Badger on this one.
Ultimatum is the neuter singular of the Latin adjective ultimatus, meaning last (thing), and the neuter plural is indeed ultimata, so I can see why that could be the plural of the English word.
But it still sounds poncey to me.
If it's any help, ein Stadion in German takes a German plural (zwei Stadien), while ein Ultimatum takes a Latin plural (zwei Ultimata).
"I'm not sure what the criterion is ..."
or
"I'm not sure what the criteria are ..."
in the net
or
"I'm not sure what the criteria are ..."
in the net
Never mind that lot....sort out the people who say "Treble Three" instead of "Triple Three".
Unfortunately it's been going on for so long, that it's another negative example of "Language Evolvement"!
Unfortunately it's been going on for so long, that it's another negative example of "Language Evolvement"!
Moot point. But can you issue more than one ultimatum? If so, what's the point in the first ones?
Well, Greece seems to have been ignoring one ultimatum after another for years now.
I believe that originally 'moot point' was 'moo point'. It meant something was so pointless that you may as well have told it to a cow.
The t was added by the French.
The t was added by the French.
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