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On 12 December 2006 18:24, Neil Bothwick wrote: |
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> > I have never seen anyone (except non-native speakers by mistake) use |
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> > mouses as the plural for a computer mouse. Are the people of the Oxford |
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> > dictionary nuts, or is this really correct and mice wrong in this case? |
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> |
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> 1) You have waaaaaaayyyyy too much time on your hands :) |
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Well, I had to look up the other thing. ;-) |
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> |
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> 2) My OED (2002 edition) says of the computer device "(pl also mouses)" |
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> so they consider both mice and mouses to be correct. |
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Uh, yours is newer than mine (1994). So I am allowed to call them mice. What a |
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relief. |
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> |
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> 3) Bear in mind that a dictionary documents the language as used, not a |
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> set of rule for using it, so if both plurals are accepted usage, both |
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> should be included (you are not alone Alan :) |
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I always thought of the Oxford dictionary as extremely conservative, i.e. it |
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reflects a language in use 30 years ago. |
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BTW, my spellchecker accepts mouses - of course it can't distinguish what I am |
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referring to. |
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Anyway, thanks for answering (to Alan as well). |
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Uwe |
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Mark Twain: I rather decline two drinks than a German adjective. |
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http://www.SysEx.com.na |
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