Pedants' Paradise

[kernelbogey]

When referring to the mother of an unmarried relative's partner, I enjoy referring to his 'mother-out-law'.

[kernelbogey]

...Directors general and courts martial now sound (to my ears at least) elitist and plain awkward, as does using concerti (other than in the Italian expression concerti grossi) rather than concertos.

I half agree... but also baulk at 'elitist'. We all have both conscious and unconscious ways of conveying our education, and these have a legitimate social function. Those who post in this thread are a little 'elitist' tribe within a tribe.

[Pulcinella]

By the same token, sort of:
gins and tonic, gins and tonics, or (more usually) gin and tonics?
We think of 'gin and tonic' as a/the unit, so make it plural with just one s at the end.

[Pulcinella]

I half agree... but also baulk at 'elitist'. We all have both conscious and unconscious ways of conveying our education, and these have a legitimate social function. Those who post in this thread are a little 'elitist' tribe within a tribe.

Perhaps a bad choice of word, but there's often an air of superiority associated with those who 'correct' what they see as an infelicity: I was educated properly and you weren't.
Language evolves, and if native speakers, particularly those holding the position, start saying director generals, then it may well become 'accepted' usage.

[kernelbogey]

I would never 'correct' another person. I wonder whether you think that choosing (e.g.) to say 'courts marshall' is implicitly didactic?

I think that, although I would say 'I enjoy listening to violin concertos', I might also say 'Vivaldi wrote innumerable violin concerti'.

[Pulcinella]

I would never 'correct' another person. I wonder whether you think that choosing (e.g.) to say 'courts marshall' is implicitly didactic?

I guess so, in this sense (taken from an online definition):
in the manner of a teacher, particularly so as to appear patronizing.

I think that, although I would say 'I enjoy listening to violin concertos', I might also say 'Vivaldi wrote innumerable violin concerti'.

I don't think I would, because he didn't.
He wrote innumerable 'concerti per violino', but in our language they become violin concertos!
But, as already said, to each his/her/their/its own, another example of how our language is adapting and changing.

[kernelbogey]

I don't think I would, because he didn't.
He wrote innumerable 'concerti per violino', but in our language they become violin concertos!
But, as already said, to each his/her/their/its own, another example of how our language is adapting and changing.

[gurnemanz]

I started thinking about the plural of concerto grosso. Italian obviously has a plural ending for adjectives, giving concerti grossi. There isn't really a satisfactory English version of the plural ... concertos grosso?.... concerto grossos?

[LezLee]

It's difficult because we use 'concerto' as an English word. Most people would refer to Mozart having written 5 violin concertos, not concerti. 'Concerti' sounds quite pompous! But there's no alternative to 'grossi'.

[greenilex]

Yes, and concertogrossoes is comprehensible if inelegant...

[cat]

Surely because "mothers" is the plural and not "in law".

Surely "mother-in-law" is the plural. There are not multiple mothers all in the same law any more than there is one mother in multiple laws.

[Serial_Apologist]

Yes, and concertogrossoes is comprehensible if inelegant...

Gross, I'd say.

[kernelbogey]

Latinx*
The Guardian is now using this term - and I find myself irritated at the usage, particularly having heard a lengthy piece on the World Service two days ago in which a reporter, Latina origin, used the term latino throughout her piece to refer to latino and latina voters. Admittedely, that was spoken reportage and the x-ending is used for print.

*Latinx is a gender-neutral neologism, sometimes used instead of Latino or Latina to refer to people of Latin American cultural or ethnic identity in the United States. (Wikipedia)

[ardcarp]

Is there such a word as competetivity?

(It was used several times by Sir Somebody-or-Other on R4's News programme just before the 0755 weather forecast today.)

[LeMartinPecheur]

Have we had the verb 'careen' as a synonym for 'career', to rush headlong? When I come across it I feel always feel the need for a lie-down, on my side of course

I was on the point of blaming the Americans for this one (Standard Operating Procedure here) but decided to check my ancient 1977 Funk and Wagnel. Lo, it gives "1. U.S. to lurch or twist to one side while moving. 2. To lean sideways. (3. and 4., standard UK meanings relating to turning a beached ship on its side to clean or repair its bottom - from Latin carina, keel.) I guess meaning 1. makes the connection with careering. So if a US error, it seems to be an ancient and by now respectable one(?)

BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE HAVE TO FOLLOW IT OVER HERE!

Hosts: would this be more at home on Pedants' Paradise? If so, please move.