Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
English speakers aren't used to pronouncing Greek words. Another troublesome one is "octopodes" (the grammatically correct, although almost never used except by liguistic pedants like me, plural of "octopus") which is pronounced in the same way as "antipodes" - ie oc-top-odd-eze. I suspect that you wouldn't get very far if you went into a fishmonger's shop and said "I'd like two octopodes, please"  . |
And here I thought octopussies was the plural of octopus
Actually I would have guessed octopi and likely have been greeted with a blank stare at the fishmongers as well. Not that we call them fishmongers in Canada. "Give me a couple of them there octopus" would be better understood.
I am always in awe of the seemingly endless (to me) variations in the English language in common usage in England despite the homogenizing influence of American TV. Individualization at a high level.
Helen