Pedants' Paradise

[french frank]

Currently as well.

Woe betide.

[vinteuil]

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... from The Times this morning -

"The Olympic Games may have Greek roots but BBC commentators should stick to English. Discussing the BMX racing yesterday, one announced that the judges would be looking at “a plethora of different criteriae”, emphasising the last syllable. Then, to his colleague’s query, he firmly added: “Criteriae is the plural of criteria.”"


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[french frank]

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... from The Times this morning -

"The Olympic Games may have Greek roots but BBC commentators should stick to English. Discussing the BMX racing yesterday, one announced that the judges would be looking at “a plethora of different criteriae”, emphasising the last syllable. Then, to his colleague’s query, he firmly added: “Criteriae is the plural of criteria.”"


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If you consider criteria an English singular noun, the plural would be criterias. The plural of criterium (a bicycle race, m'lud - had to look that up) should, I suppose, be criteriums. If simply taken as a Latin common noun (= Gk κρῐτήρῐον) the plural would still be criteria as criterium would be neuter. As The Times would say: "Stick to English".

The OED has no modern definition: three examples of criterium (1631, 1734, 1845) used as a Latinised form of κρῐτήρῐον .

[Old Grumpy]

As The Times would say: "Stick to English".

Surely those in Pedants' Paradise cannot agree. The use of criteria, phenomena (and not to forget media) as singular nouns drives me spare!

[kernelbogey]

Surely those in Pedants' Paradise cannot agree. The use of criteria, phenomena (and not to forget media) as singular nouns drives me spare!

It certainly is a bacterium affectng the language.

[Old Grumpy]

It certainly is a bacterium affectng the language.

Yes that's another one close to my heart.*


*Literally, not physically I hasten to add!

[LMcD]

Surely those in Pedants' Paradise cannot agree. The use of criteria, phenomena (and not to forget media) as singular nouns drives me spare!

It's the media wot is to blame, aren't they?

[french frank]

It certainly is a bacterium affectng the language.

It's interesting, though. I was mulling over this subject, in particular the/my use of referendums. I concluded that anyone who knew the Latin plural is referenda would also understand from the context that I was using the term in a narrower, more specific, English-language way. Also agendas. I wonder whether the sporting term criterium is ever used in the plural.

[vinteuil]

I wonder whether the sporting term criterium is ever used in the plural.

... certainly is in French -

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crit%C3%A9rium_(cyclisme)

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[Pulcinella]

It's interesting, though. I was mulling over this subject, in particular the/my use of referendums. I concluded that anyone who knew the Latin plural is referenda would also understand from the context that I was using the term in a narrower, more specific, English-language way. Also agendas. I wonder whether the sporting term criterium is ever used in the plural.

I have no problem with the general uncountable singular media, though would certainly use a plural verb if talking about different media (as in formats, say: CDs, mp3s, etc) that material is available on.

But given that we now (courtesy of the US) have alum and alums maybe we need crit and crits.
I was always amused by Football Stadia as a sign (on the M6 I think): that really should be stadiums.

[Serial_Apologist]

My current gripe is the media use of "injured" when "wounded" would surely far better describe the gravity of, yes, wounds inflicted through crime, or war. "Injured" seems somehow to downplay the awfulness - especially given terrible events, such as in Southport this week, but this is not the first time I have felt this way about it. The euphemism seems to have crept in since the start of the latest round of aggression by Israel on Gaza - and here again, "violence", a term of use to describe natural events, is an example of manicured language. Injuries is too "objective" a term, more appropriate to unintended physical damage, as in accidents. I can hardly think that newscasters choose "injuries" in preference to "woundings" in order to spare feelings!

[french frank]

... certainly is in French -

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crit%C3%A9rium_(cyclisme)

Educated and logical, les français

[Padraig]

Just saying : There was a dance hall in my youth commonly called The Crit. Smart people knew that its proper title was The Criterion. College boys knew what criterion meant and that it had a plural -criteria. I took that to be common knowledge - until today. Where did I go wrong?

[french frank]

College boys knew what criterion meant and that it had a plural -criteria. I took that to be common knowledge - until today. Where did I go wrong?

A question of how words are appropriated and used in different - but sometimes connected - ways? If there are several different theatres in a chain, all called The Criterion, I can't believe they would collectively be called Criteria. I'm not even clear why a dance hall (or a theatre) would be called The Criterion.

To go back to agenda/agendas. I don't think the Romans used the word agenda to refer to a wax tablet containing items to be discussed at a meeting. Habemus agenda? Ubi sunt agenda? (Aut ubi est agenda?)

[Old Grumpy]

A question of how words are appropriated and used in different - but sometimes connected - ways? If there are several different theatres in a chain, all called The Criterion, I can't believe they would collectively be called Criteria. I'm not even clear why a dance hall (or a theatre) would be called The Criterion

My little Chrome AI friend came up with this:

There isn't much information about the origin of the name Criterion Theatre right now, but here's some related information about the theater. The Criterion Theatre has hosted many historic shows, including The Merchant of Venice in 1936, Bleak Expectations, Pride and Prejudice, Amelie The Musical, and The Comedy About A Bank Robbery.

Which is wot you said, basically