Tuesday, February 13, 2007

 

the plural of nexus: nexi?

These evil nexi are not orignal but they are worth repeating.
I found this in the Language Log:
The sad thing about Goropism is that within it lie the seeds of the evil nexus of nationalism, racism, and linguistic chauvinism." You could turn that comment into a terrific book on the Dark Side of the enlightenment.
This nexus refers to a "scholar" who explains all human language in terms of Dutch.

The other was a conversation about the evil triangle in New Mexico of Los Alamos, Espanola, and Santa Fe.
The nexus of plutonium, poverty, and privelege.

Comments:
The plural of nexus in Latin is nexus, so the embarrassing attempts by wanna-be Internet intellectuals at sounding erudite by pulling "nexii" out of their asses is laughable. Nexuses, if anything. Or nexus. But not nexi, nor nexii.
 
It's not octopuses, is it? I have a lot of respect for Miriam, but Nexii does have a ring to it. Can the word Nexus refer to a happening between more than 2 things? What about a Multinexus? You know like the word Multiverse?

How about a Multinexial event?
What about visiting a Multinexium?
Paul
 
I just think that Nexuses sounds a little clunky I light of all of the recent string of technologies having grown out of Condensed Matter Physics. 22 energy producing technologies, and 3D Printing and Superconductivity coming together at the same time in myriad ways.
I like nexii, I don't feel erudite.
It just seems to roll off the tongue.
 
umber Singular Plural
Case \ Gender Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
nominative nexus nexa nexum nexī nexae nexa
genitive nexī nexae nexī nexōrum nexārum nexōrum
dative nexō nexae nexō nexīs nexīs nexīs
accusative nexum nexam nexum nexōs nexās nexa
ablative nexō nexā nexō nexīs nexīs nexīs
vocative nexe nexa nexum nexī nexae nexa

 
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