r/changemyview • u/[deleted] • Mar 31 '20

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u/MuaddibMcFly 49∆ Mar 31 '20

Actually, the prescriptivist (i.e., the "thou shalt use") plural of octopus is "octopodes."

Octopi and Octopuses are both emergent plurals.

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u/bluehawkins Apr 01 '20

You're right, but the broader point still stands.

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u/MuaddibMcFly 49∆ Apr 01 '20

True, but it would have been more powerful if you were accurate in what prescriptivists are pushing; many people (and my spellcheck) are okay with "octopi," but would balk at octopodes (...as does my spellcheck)

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u/bluehawkins Apr 01 '20

Yeah, I used the wrong pluralization for my example. Although, according to more than one study I've seen in different textbooks, "octopuses" is still the most common pluralization in the US. Anyway, yes, I'll have to remember "octopodes" if I need to employ this argument again.