scenario and its plural

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AuthorTopic: scenario and its plural
moonear
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Member # 5410
 written Tuesday, February 28 2006 10:58 Profile #0
The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) is an independent, non-profit organization, whose mission is to produce telecommunications standards for today and for the future.

Based in Sophia Antipolis (France), the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) is officially responsible for standardization of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) within Europe. These technologies include telecommunications, broadcasting and related areas such as intelligent transportation and medical electronics.

All the above directly pulled from their website www.etsi.org. In their document for standardization of the English language it specifically mentions that the plural of scenario is "scenarios" and not "scenari" or "scenarii", see

http: //portal.etsi.org /edithelp /pdf / use_of_english.pdf

Whatever the origins of the word, current modern standardization of its use apparently is evolving to scenarios.

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Posts: 687 | Registered: Wednesday, January 19 2005 08:00
moonear
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Member # 5410
 written Tuesday, February 28 2006 11:02 Profile #1
Note also in the same document that the use of media is singular when used with reference to the press, radio, TV or journalists in general.

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"Dikiyoba ... is demon ... drives people mad and ... do all sorts of strange things."

"You Spiderwebbians are mad, mad, mad as March hares."
Posts: 687 | Registered: Wednesday, January 19 2005 08:00
Dintiradan
Guardian
Member # 6670
 written Tuesday, February 28 2006 11:06 Profile Homepage #2
Note that Spiderweb Software is based in North America, not Europe. It will thus remain 'scenarios'.

What's next? The plural of 'moose' is 'meese'?

EDIT: Oops, misread.

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[ Wednesday, March 01, 2006 10:04: Message edited by: Dintiradan ]
Posts: 1509 | Registered: Tuesday, January 10 2006 08:00
Redstart
Shock Trooper
Member # 6666
 written Tuesday, February 28 2006 11:18 Profile #3
So we all agree, then.
Posts: 353 | Registered: Monday, January 9 2006 08:00
moonear
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Member # 5410
 written Tuesday, February 28 2006 12:34 Profile #4
quote:
Note that Spiderweb Software is based in North America, not Europe. It will thus remain 'scenarios'.
And in Europe it is also "scenarios", that is what I was drawing attention to above, whatever the origins the standardied usage is moving to/already at "scenarios".

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"Dikiyoba ... is demon ... drives people mad and ... do all sorts of strange things."

"You Spiderwebbians are mad, mad, mad as March hares."
Posts: 687 | Registered: Wednesday, January 19 2005 08:00
Jumpin Salmon
? Man, ? Amazing
Member # 5755
 written Tuesday, February 28 2006 13:20 Profile #5
So we'll just have to disagree that we agree.

But, again, what was the point?

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quote:
Originally written by Kelandon:

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Posts: 4114 | Registered: Monday, April 25 2005 07:00
Kelandon
Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
 written Tuesday, February 28 2006 13:20 Profile Homepage #6
Having had a discussion about this already with an Italian, I can mention that I've found no evidence that the plural of "scenario" was ever (in English) "scenarii," and it was certainly never "scenari."

It is, has been, and always will be (in English) "scenarios."

I am left to ponder the concept that this appears to be a derivation (in Italian) from the word (in Latin) "scena," meaning "stage," which by (Latin) derivational standards would create the word "scenarius," for which the plural would (in Latin) be "scenarii," and in English would probably be loaned as "scenary," which apparently is the old spelling of "scenery."

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Arancaytar: Every time you ask people to compare TM and Kel, you endanger the poor, fluffy kittens.
Smoo: Get ready to face the walls!
Ephesos: In conclusion, yarr.

Kelandon's Pink and Pretty Page!!: the authorized location for all things by me
The Archive of all released BoE scenarios ever
Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00
wz. As
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Member # 3040
 written Tuesday, February 28 2006 13:30 Profile #7
quote:
Originally written by Dintiradan:

Note that Spiderweb Software is based in North America, not Europe. It will thus remain 'scenarios'.

What's next? The plural of 'moose' is 'meese'?
Well, since the people who spoke Old English, from where the irregular goose -> geese and mouse -> mice plurals evolved, never saw a moose, and therefore needed no word for one, probably not.

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5.0.1.0.0.0.0.1.0...
Posts: 508 | Registered: Thursday, May 29 2003 07:00
Ephesos
Law Bringer
Member # 4153
 written Tuesday, February 28 2006 14:56 Profile Homepage #8
I too fail to see the point of this... I mean, it's not like anyone here ever used scenari or scenarii...

How about a bunch of scenarii involving meese? That's what BoA really needs...

EDIT: I stand corrected...

[ Tuesday, February 28, 2006 17:14: Message edited by: Ephesos ]

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Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00
Dikiyoba
Councilor
Member # 6600
 written Tuesday, February 28 2006 16:55 Profile Homepage #9
Just one person, who I don't remember, which Kelandon was refering to, who got shot down, so I don't know why it comes up now.

Now, would meese really be moose, or would they be a combination of geese and mice? Because meese sounds too comical to name the majestic moose.

Dikiyoba.
Posts: 4346 | Registered: Friday, December 23 2005 08:00
Kelandon
Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
 written Tuesday, February 28 2006 16:55 Profile Homepage #10
quote:
Originally written by Ephesos:

I mean, it's not like anyone here ever used scenari or scenarii...
Well, except one.

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Arancaytar: Every time you ask people to compare TM and Kel, you endanger the poor, fluffy kittens.
Smoo: Get ready to face the walls!
Ephesos: In conclusion, yarr.

Kelandon's Pink and Pretty Page!!: the authorized location for all things by me
The Archive of all released BoE scenarios ever
Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Tuesday, February 28 2006 21:42 Profile Homepage #11
quote:
Originally written by the fatman:

Note also in the same document that the use of media is singular when used with reference to the press, radio, TV or journalists in general.
I'd argue that "media" is treated as a mass noun, rather than as a singular count noun (of course, it was originally a plural count noun). You wouldn't say "a media".

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Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Kelandon
Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
 written Tuesday, February 28 2006 22:05 Profile Homepage #12
There is a long and good history of Latin neuter plurals being re-analyzed as collective singulars. I'm all in favor of "the media" being a singular noun, even as we can say "one medium," "two media" — or better, "two mediums."

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Arancaytar: Every time you ask people to compare TM and Kel, you endanger the poor, fluffy kittens.
Smoo: Get ready to face the walls!
Ephesos: In conclusion, yarr.

Kelandon's Pink and Pretty Page!!: the authorized location for all things by me
The Archive of all released BoE scenarios ever
Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Tuesday, February 28 2006 23:11 Profile Homepage #13
Be that as it may, as a biologist I cringe a little whenever someone says "a bacteria".

[ Tuesday, February 28, 2006 23:11: Message edited by: Thuryl ]

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Arancaytar
Law Bringer
Member # 2984
 written Wednesday, March 1 2006 03:31 Profile Homepage #14
Incidentally, is it "a criterium" or "a criterion"? If it is from Latin, the first one sounds correct, but I've seen the second used...

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Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Wednesday, March 1 2006 04:12 Profile Homepage #15
Depends on what you mean by it. A criterion is a standard on which to base a decision. A criterium is a kind of bicycle race.

And just so you know, "criterion" is from Greek, not Latin.

[ Wednesday, March 01, 2006 04:13: Message edited by: Thuryl ]

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Arancaytar
Law Bringer
Member # 2984
 written Wednesday, March 1 2006 04:14 Profile Homepage #16
In that case I mean the former.

And once again should be ashamed for not using Wikipedia. :rolleyes:

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Polaris is dead, long live Polaris.
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Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00
Kelandon
Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
 written Wednesday, March 1 2006 06:16 Profile Homepage #17
quote:
Originally written by Thuryl:

Be that as it may, as a biologist I cringe a little whenever someone says "a bacteria".
And I cringe whenever someone says, "a matrice." But by what I posted above, "a bacteria" would still be wrong, just as "a water" is wrong; one doesn't use an indefinite article with a collective noun. But one might say "the bacteria is harmless," although I think that sounds terrible, personally, and I suspect that most grammarians would recommend against it.

--------------------
Arancaytar: Every time you ask people to compare TM and Kel, you endanger the poor, fluffy kittens.
Smoo: Get ready to face the walls!
Ephesos: In conclusion, yarr.

Kelandon's Pink and Pretty Page!!: the authorized location for all things by me
The Archive of all released BoE scenarios ever
Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Wednesday, March 1 2006 15:54 Profile Homepage #18
quote:
Originally written by Kelandon:

And I cringe whenever someone says, "a matrice."
O_o

Who are these people who say these things?

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The Empire Always Loses: This Time For Sure!
Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
Kelandon
Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
 written Wednesday, March 1 2006 16:00 Profile Homepage #19
Interestingly, not the same people who reach for their calculators when they have to divide four pi by four. :P

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Arancaytar: Every time you ask people to compare TM and Kel, you endanger the poor, fluffy kittens.
Smoo: Get ready to face the walls!
Ephesos: In conclusion, yarr.

Kelandon's Pink and Pretty Page!!: the authorized location for all things by me
The Archive of all released BoE scenarios ever
Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00
Thuryl
...b10010b...
Member # 869
 written Wednesday, March 1 2006 19:48 Profile Homepage #20
Well, I suppose I shouldn't talk. Until a distressingly late age, I pronounced the word "misled" to rhyme with "rivalled".

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Posts: 9973 | Registered: Saturday, March 30 2002 08:00
moonear
Infiltrator
Member # 5410
 written Thursday, March 2 2006 06:57 Profile #21
quote:
Interestingly, not the same people who reach for their calculators when they have to divide four pi by four.
In our house we put three in the freezer and divide the fourth into fifths (of which I claim 40%)

so you get (4Pie)/3*(1/5)*(.4)= :D

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"Dikiyoba ... is demon ... drives people mad and ... do all sorts of strange things."

"You Spiderwebbians are mad, mad, mad as March hares."
Posts: 687 | Registered: Wednesday, January 19 2005 08:00