The vagaries of the English language

[Guest]

By the way, I've just added 'fora' to my mental list of words when playing Words with Friends (Scrabble).

Stupid English language. (I am sorry, very very sorry to say that.)
Forum is a Latin word, the plural is fora - in Latin.
Unfortuately, today Latin is not a living language.
Using the word in English, conjugate/decline it according to English language rules.

No?

OK, then please:

Tovarishch or tovarisch (Russian: Това́рищ; IPA: [tɐˈvarʲɪɕː], from Old Turkic tavar ishchi, "merchant" ) is a Russian word meaning comrade, friend, colleague, or ally. In pre-revolutionary Russia (1802-1917) also any official's assistant.
In Russian, the suffix of plural is "i". Then, the plural should be tovarishchi or tovarischi, and please pronounce the "i" as in fill.

Coach (carriage): Kocs (pronounced "kotch") was the Hungarian post town in the 15th century onwards, which gave its name to a fast light vehicle, which later spread across Europe. Therefore the English word coach, the Spanish and Portuguese coche, the German Kutsche, and the Slovak and Czech koč all probably derive from the Hungarian word "kocsi", literally meaning "of Kocs".
In Hungarian, the suffix of plural is "k". Then, the plural should be coachek or coachok. (pronounced "kotchik", the "i" as above)

[Guest]

"Fora" simply sounds more educated. I agree, English is a very inconsistent language.

We learned in High School how to deal with the word "alumni," and it wasn't English rules. For the life of me, I am still totally confused about the word, and I would rather use the noun graduate. Much simpler.

Your excellence in linguistics is beyond us simple Americans.

I have been unable to find an English translation of Heinrich Gresbeck's Bericht von der Wiedertaufe in Münster. Or Cornelius' Die Geschichtsquellen des Bistums Münster II (Münster, 1853) 1-214. Very frustrating. Most of us Americans never even heard of the disaster at Munster.

[_ludwigm]

"Fora" simply sounds more educated. I agree, English is a very inconsistent language.

We learned in High School how to deal with the word "alumni," and it wasn't English rules. For the life of me, I am still totally confused about the word, and I would rather use the noun graduate. Much simpler.

I reassure You, Hungarian is more inconsistent. We have thousands of suffixes. Or at least many hundred.
All of them logical - after one has learned all.

As a restitution, we have a simple pronounciation. The "i" is always "i". Not like fill/find/first.

[_MCB]

So you find that posting pictures is easier for you than writing in English? Practice makes perfect, you know. And you have made excellent progress.

[_ludwigm]

So you find that posting pictures is easier for you than writing in English? Practice makes perfect, you know. And you have made excellent progress.

Thank You!


Starting the Free ludwigm! thread,

Does it matter that I don't understand three-fifths of what he writes? No! Does it matter that the images he posts bring color to the cheeks of the very innocent? No! Does it matter that I don't get his jokes? Maybe a little!

Well, do You understand more than two-fifths of what I write?
Maybe three-fifths? It is 50% plus...

[_MCB]

95% but I am a creative reader.