Re: Language for taxonomic names, redux
David Starner <[email protected]>
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On Thu, Mar 2, 2017 at 11:49 AM Kent Karlsson <[email protected]> wrote: > Hmm. Since these are /names/ of /entire species/ (not individuals), I > don't think it is appropriate to pluralise these names in any language. > > So, "We found remains of three [individuals of [the species]] > /Homo erectus/", NOT "We found remains of three /homines erecti/". > (Brackets mean that the part may be omitted, and taken as understood.) > Formal English might tolerate three /T. rex/, but vernacular English would demand three T. rexes. That clumsy/precise distinction is going to erode in the need for a name for the species in question. One is not going to say "There are two foxes and three [individuals of [the species]] /T. rex/ in that picture", and in the vernacular one is not going to say "There are two /Vulpes vulpes/ and two /T. rex/ in that picture"; the most natural vernacular form is going to be "There are two foxes and three T. rexes in that picture." _______________________________________________ Ietf-languages mailing list [email protected] http://www.alvestrand.no/mailman/listinfo/ietf-languages