[From moderator: This issue is fun, but off-topic... so it should be closed. Categories posting will be intermittent until July 7, after CT2009.] Dear All To add to the confusion: There is a difference between skeleton and polygon: skeletos, etc. is a participle polygon is a noun polygonon in ancient Greek polygono in modern Greek plural form polygona in ancient Greek
From my recollections: as a participle (I would have to check this): skeletos, skeletae, skeleton etc.,
the neutrum participle "skeleton" also has plural forms: skeleta (nominativ) skeleton (genitiv) (long o, i.e. omega) skeletois (dativ) skeleta (accusativ) I cannot check details right now since I cannot chek my ancient Greek sources right now to confirm. Best regards Johannes HUEBSCHMANN Johannes Professeur de Mathématiques USTL, UFR de Mathématiques UMR 8524 Laboratoire Paul Painlevé 59 655 VILLENEUVE d'ASCQ Cédex/France http://math.univ-lille1.fr/~huebschm TEL. (33) 3 20 43 41 97 (33) 3 20 43 42 33 (sécrétariat) (33) 3 20 43 48 50 (sécrétariat) Fax (33) 3 20 43 43 02 Johannes.Huebschmann@math.univ-lille1.fr On Tue, 23 Jun 2009, Fred E.J. Linton wrote:
On Mon, 22 Jun 2009 09:17:05 AM EDT, "Prof. Peter Johnstone" <P.T.Johnstone@dpmms.cam.ac.uk> in response to: Andrew Stacey <andrew.stacey@math.ntnu.no> wrote, in part:
On Fri, 19 Jun 2009, Andrew Stacey wrote:
... over the finite skeleta.
Not really a contribution to the mathematical question, but I'm struck by the fact that both Andrew Salch and Andrew Stacey, in their replies to Steve Vickers, use the plural "skeleta". I used to do that when I was a student, as a way of winding-up my teachers, but it isn't justifiable.
The English word "skeleton" is indeed derived from a Greek root (the past participle of the verb "skellein", to wither or dry up), but it doesn't exist as a noun in Greek. There is therefore no justification for giving it an imagined Greek plural. Having in my time devoted some effort to fighting the bogus (but in fact more justifiable) Greek plural "topoi", I feel bound to protest against this one too. ...
The generic-seeming example "phenomenon/phenomena" certainly *suggests* a parallel "skeleton/skeleta" -- but it would also suggest "polygon/polyga", which I think we all would agree is nonsense. Peter is merely (justifiably) pointing out that "skeleton/skeleta" is as much nonsense as "polygon/polyga", and I'm with him 100% on that score.
[As for the plural of "topos", I guess I'm in the mugwump camp that would *write* it as "topoi" (pace Peter), but *pronounce* it as "toposes" :-) . English was never very strong at phonetic consistency of pronunciation; witness GBShaw's "phonetic" spelling of FISH: "ghotip".]
Cheers, -- Fred
PS: "ghotip"? "gh" as in COUGH, "o" as in WOMEN, "ti" as in NATION, and "p" (silent) as in PNEUMONIA.
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