So…this is bothering me: say you speak four languages…then is it quadrilingual or tetralingual? I’m thinking it should be the former based on the fact that quad and lingual are both latin while tetra is greek-. Right?
Mono, Bi, Tri, Quad..right? Am I totally off?
By the way, these have been my debating issues the past couple of days. I think it should be quadrilingual. In addition, I think that the NYT is wrong by writing “DVD’s” instead of “DVDs”. If the CMS thinks the same way I do, then I have no choice but to think that the Grey Old Lady is full of shit.
‘’Crash’’ has taken in $55 million at the domestic box office and $39 million in foreign box office sales. It has sold 5 million units—about $85 million worth—of DVD’s.
Why should it be DVD’s? DVD’s what? What does the DVD own? If the sentence were talking about the DVD’s car or the CEO’s lear jet, then that’s one thing…but if you want to make it plural, then you just add the ’s’ and then leave everything well enough alone.
If 5 million units of books had been sold instead of DVDs, then it wouldn’t be 5 million book’s…so..ugh. Dumb NYT.
What are your grammar peevs? The apostrophe (its v it’s), your v. you’re, there/they’re/their and just some of mine. What are yours?
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UpdateI did my homework. The Chicago Manual of Style, the Associated Press Stylebook and the wise Strunk and White are on my side. The New York Times, however, chooses to make up its own rules by developing the New York Times Manual of Style and Usage.
Comments (1):
You are SO right about “dvd’s” – I did get into a debate with David Pogue about the same thing a while back and he agreed but said it was “editorial policy” – go figure.