"corpii" as plural of "corpus"

[Geoff Nathan]

The most frequent one of these I've seen is 'virii', used by IT folks. It even has its own Wikipedia page in Wiktionary, with a notation that

though common, is generally considered to be incorrect, and based on a misunderstanding of Latin (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/virii)

but, as I've said, I've seen it frequently.  But then my other hat is as an IT Security Policy wonk.

Geoff

Geoffrey S. Nathan
Faculty Liaison, C&IT
and Associate Professor, Linguistics Program
+1 (313) 577-1259 (C&IT)
+1 (313) 577-8621 (English/Linguistics)

----- "James Harbeck" <jharbeck at SYMPATICO.CA> wrote:

> From: "James Harbeck" <jharbeck at SYMPATICO.CA>
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Sent: Tuesday, March 9, 2010 4:44:16 PM GMT -10:00 Hawaii
> Subject: Re: "corpii" as plural of "corpus"
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       James Harbeck <jharbeck at SYMPATICO.CA>
> Subject:      Re: "corpii" as plural of "corpus"
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Yet another manifestation of the (it seems to me) rather common
> belief that the plural of any -us is an -ii (not an -i, as it would
> often be; it seems that the more marked -ii, as in radii, has stuck
> in many people's heads as more right). I've run across the -ii quite
> a few times, though I've never noted corpii before (korpi, yes, which
> is Finnish for "forest", but not corpii).
>
> James Harbeck.
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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