“though he’s certainly an expert when it comes to usage”
Appeal to authority popping up again? Fry is not an expert in usage. You are ceding him credibility he has not earned.
Your sociolinguist isn’t backing your claim like you think. Go to 2:45 and listen to her talk about how rules only need to be consistent within the dialect. What other Greek words ending in “pus” gets pluralized in English as "i? There aren’t any I can think of so your source might actually prove my point.
“though he’s certainly an expert when it comes to usage”
Appeal to authority popping up again? Fry is not an expert in usage. You are ceding him credibility he has not earned.
Your sociolinguist isn’t backing your claim like you think. Go to 2:45 and listen to her talk about how rules only need to be consistent within the dialect. What other Greek words ending in “pus” gets pluralized in English as "i? There aren’t any I can think of so your source might actually prove my point.
That part was my opinion. Sorry I didn’t label it with a big red marker. You’re welcome to your own opinions.
Overall though, I think you’re missing the forest for the trees a bit. This is tiresome so I’ll just leave it at that.
If you enjoy linguistics, I’m happy for that, and glad we have it in common. The minor quibbles don’t really matter. It’s been fun; take care.