The Curious Case of "Syllabus": Exploring Its Plural Forms
The word "syllabus," a staple in academic life, often leads to the question: what is its correct plural form? Is it "syllabi" or "syllabuses"? This article delves into the etymology, usage, and historical context of "syllabus" to clarify this common linguistic dilemma.
Introduction: A Word Rooted in History
At some point, using “syllabi” as the plural of “syllabus” started to bother some people. The quest for linguistic accuracy, especially with words like "syllabus," can be perceived as a marker of education and class. However, it's essential to understand the word's origins to determine the most appropriate plural form.
Etymology: Tracing Back to Ancient Roots
The term "syllabus" entered English in the 17th century from the Latin "syllabus," which means a list. Originally, it referred to a concise summary or outline of a course of study, typically used in educational settings. However, the story goes back further than that. The word syllabus comes to English from the Latin sillybus, which actually has nothing to do with buses or silliness (sillybus refers to a label for a book).
Jeff Jeske explains that our English word syllabus comes from the greek sittuba, referring to a descriptive tab that hung down from the end of a rolled-up papyrus scroll. That word came into Latin as sittyba, which would form the plural as sittybes.
According to In Rebus, in a single 2000-year-old document, when referring in passing to some library-related busywork he had delegated to his servants, the Roman orator Cicero sloppily borrowed a Greek word from the servant-class culture of literacy. He would have heard it from his trusted scribe, a Greek slave, skilled in the petty details of writing and book-keeping, the kinds of things that an important orator in Rome’s oral-based culture would likely dismiss as “all that geeky tech stuff.” Some 1500 or so years later, casting about in classical literature for a word to mean a summary of a longer work, late medieval scholars picked up on Cicero’s usage.
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Usage in Modern English: "Syllabi" vs. "Syllabuses"
In English, both "syllabi" and "syllabuses" are accepted plural forms of "syllabus." The choice between the two often depends on the context and personal preference.
Syllabi: This plural form is often favored in academic and formal contexts. It aligns closely with the Latin root and is preferred by many educators and scholars.
Syllabuses: While less common in academic writing, "syllabuses" is widely accepted in everyday language and is perfectly correct in general usage. According to Associated Press (AP) style, the correct plural form for "syllabus" is "syllabuses."
Today, “syllabuses” is the most common plural in British English, where it edges out “syllabi” by a ratio of 1.4 to 1, according to the book Garner’s Modern English Usage, by Bryan Garner. But “syllabi” by far dominates over “syllabuses” in American English, by a whopping 10-to-1 ratio.
The Case for "Syllabuses": Anglification and Linguistic Evolution
Historically, as words become part of the English language, they shed their connections to their language of origin, and settle down to following English rules. Like the many words added to the English language every year, “syllabus” is making its slow transition from foreign word to English word.
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The Intriguing History of "Syllabus": A Tale of Mistakes and Misinterpretations
So, “syllabus” is a made-up medieval Latin word, based on a mistake that either Cicero made or a scribe later introduced, in a passage where Cicero appropriated a Greek word for a concept foreign to Romans. Since Latin could form the plural in several different ways, there is no logical evidence to argue that “syllabi” is the correct plural. Although a mere scribal error is likely responsible for the confusion, the varying spellings in Att. 4.4a , 4.5.3 and 4.8.2 may in fact ascend to Cicero’s manuscripts, with Cicero’s carelessness being the reason.
Beyond "Syllabus": Other Words with Multiple Plural Forms
The English language is full of words that offer multiple plural forms, often stemming from their diverse etymological roots. Some examples include:
Octopus: octopi, octopuses, or octopodes.
Gymnasium: gymnasia. Very few people use gymnasia as the plural of gymnasium anymore, but it can come in handy if you want to confuse people. And if you desire still more obscure information about this word, know that it can be traced to a Greek word meaning “to exercise naked” (gymnazein).
Virtuoso: virtuosos and virtuosi may be found as the plural form of virtuouso, although the former is more common than the latter. Virtuosi is also viewed by a number of usage guides as being overly pedantic, and many will recommend virtuosos instead.
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