Talk:English noun/Catalogs/English irregular nouns

Notes from a correspondent:

I thought it was media in a specific context (newspapers and broadcasting) otherwise mediums, also that it was indices if in mathematics, otherwise indexes; Chambers says indexes if in context of books, otherwise indices.

I would have thought "fishes" was extant in certain contexts, see http://www.tellmewhyfacts.com/2007/01/when-do-you-use-word-fish-and-fishes.html, I noted in Wikipedia bison and moose are in that category (plural same as singular). Chambers agrees with the latter but implies that the plural of bison is regular. (The Spell Check does not accept bisons, but of course I wouldn't say that fact carries much weight.

gêniê (= Jêanniê) gênìî (both j-; cf. gêniuses, plural of gênius)

I didn't know that; genii is not accepted by Spell Check (in Word). Chambers doesn't give a plural for genie, implying that genies (accepted by Spell Check) is correct, and gives genii as the plural of genius. témpo témpì Chambers gives tempos as an alternative, and I would have thought it was OK.

Ro Thorpe 20:33, 26 February 2011 (UTC)

My 1979 Collins confirms moose and bison, and has genii for the mythical figures only (geniuses else, genie is another entry). As far as I recall I always saw indices for the mathematical (sub-,super-)indices (it is used in German, too). --Peter Schmitt 10:27, 27 February 2011 (UTC)

Indexes are things at ends of books, indices are mathematical entities.

Mediums are spiritualists, media are means of transmission etc. Peter Jackson 12:02, 28 February 2011 (UTC)