Re: Plural of the word "status"
 

This may be one of those happy occasions where I can agree with everyone.

I would look at it as follows:

1. Status (long u) is the correct plural in Latin (4th decl., as Bob says, rather than 2nd decl.)

2. Status (long u) is a "rare" (OED) plural in English. (And rightly so: I challenge anyone to work it into a conversation without attracting strange looks.)

3. Stati is not the correct plural in Latin, but is quite common in English.

4. Statuses is not the correct plural in Latin, but is a valid anglicised plural, and also the most common in English.

I feel a little sorry for #3. I wonder whether a convoluted case might be made for it: perhaps on the grounds that we are now so accustomed to -i as a plural for any remotely Latin-looking word that ends in -us, that it's almost a valid English plural in itself. (This would also let "octopi" off the hook.)

MrP

Re: Plural of the word "status"
 

And I feel quite sorry about #3 ;-) As I've said elsewhere, people who go around sticking Latinate endings willy-nilly on any vaguely Latin-looking word are ignorami with hidden agendae; I just wish compulsory Latin was on more school syllabi. (But let's not get into that ;-))

b

Re: Plural of the word "status"
 

I think we should get into that. I was not fond of high school Latin until I got into college. Then, the value was revealed to me - law, medicine, English, vocabulary, etc. I would support compulsory Latin for anyone interested in academics.

Re: Plural of the word "status"
 

Agree, adding also Greek. 75% (or more, even) of the terms used in Linguistics are Greek.

Re: Plural of the word "status"
 

I would be sorry to see Greek and Latin reduced to the stati of mere appendages to Linguistics and English plural-formation...

Re: Plural of the word "status"
 

... or languages, or just thinking straight.

b

Re: Plural of the word "status"
 

You bet! :-D

Re: Plural of the word "status"
 

I deeply regret to inform you that this then is a grave mistake on Mr.Webster's part. :-D

No self-respecting Roman citizen or author, be it in the

classical period (100-14 BC), postclassical period (14 BC - 200 AD),late period

(200-600 AD) or the medieval period (600-1300) of Latin would be caught

dead using any other plural than "STATUS".

Re: Plural of the word "status"
 

I would be interested to see some examples of plural "status" in Latin authors, if anyone knows of any. So far I've only found one:

1. crebro commutat status

in Plautus, where I think it means "attitudes".

MrP

Re: Plural of the word "status"
 

would you rather have examples taken from prose authors or poets (where there might be ambiguous undertones concerning the meaning of the word "status" such as in Plautus,slightly ironic even) and which era would you be most interested in?

I find both Livy's use of the phrase "in pristinum status/in pristinos status redire" meaning to return to pristine values
and his use of "status" within military context
statibus movere hostes to mess up the enemy's battle line
as well as
Tacitus' use of "rei publicae status" as a state's constitution/mode of being (used several times in plural as well,especially in his Annals,Agricola,..) as opposed to Caesar's use of "eo statu res erat" such was the state of affairs
show how diverse the word's original meaning "(the act of)standing" actually became.