*tsunamus

[Charles Doyle]

The folkgroup that I hung with as an undergraduate was fond of such constructions: an "okrum," a "macaronus" (we were more interested in Latin than in Italian)--or (in the other direction) a couple of "Kleenices" for nose-blowing.

I have heard, proffered seriously (orally), "peni" as the plural of "penis"--which is perhaps no weirder in English than "penes."

--Charlie


---- Original message ----
>Date: Sun, 28 Feb 2010 09:52:30 -0500
>From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> (on behalf of Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>)
>Subject: Re: *tsunamus
>
>Now I want a martino.
>
>JL
>
>On Sat, Feb 27, 2010 at 8:35 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>wrote:
>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>> Subject:      Re: *tsunamus
>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> At 6:34 PM -0500 2/27/10, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>> >One of Honolulu's news anchors apologized on CNN for having said "tidal
>> >wave" when he meant "tsunami." He also emphasized that "tsunami" is
>> >"singular."
>> >
>> >Perhaps someone complained about apparent subject-verb discord.
>> >
>> >JL
>>
>> No, it's not Latin, it's Italian:  Would you like to much on a tasty
>> panino while you watch the tsunamo?  Of course in the original
>> Italian it was "zunamo", but it is a loan word after all.
>>
>> LH
>>
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