Given that we all can remember the name of celebrities and even details about their marriage, I'm not sure why we cannot use words elegantly. I don't want to "battle"; I just want to have equal attention paid to language and beauty as is to celebrity gossip (and football).

*For common conversation, I prefer "matriculated". *

I suggest you look up the actual definition of the word--we did this just recently at work and were somewhat surprised.

This is America, so you can spell the way you like, but there are rules, which if you break them -- in a school assignment, your master's thesis, a news release, or an office memo -- you lose points and credibility. I have no problem with someone using 'alums' in a personal note or facebook posting, for example. Nevertheless, although I'm a liberal when it comes to the changes that inevitably happen to a language, I believe we should not allow rampant, fast-paced change. If we move too fast, we risk losing the language's ability to convey meaning.

Prius'
?

"You Are An Alumni of One".

Misuse of words matters when it interferes with clear and accurate communication but a particularly picayune preoccupation with properly placed punctuation is predominantly the purview of pedantic dufii.

Allin
Ewe r a purfekt xampul uf y spelling and grammar are important and y miss uuse n miss-spelling uf engulish maeks peepul knot taek won seeriusly an luuk kindda dum

Toyota and Society dictated it.
;-)

Prii.
Google "plural of Prius".

no: As Frank noted in his 3/11/2012 blog entry "But in newspapering,..." some liberties can be taken in order to "...produce that informal style...". So striclky following the rules is not the same as poor math (the 2+2=5 that you referred to). Blogs are even less strick, as they follow the rules of conversation, not the rules of writing, so even spelling is 'not a factor' in conversation.

As an alumnus of an area university, I have long been vexed by the misuse of language, paticularly with Latin or Greek roots, prefixes and suffixes. But of greater concern is - does it hurt when the "i" ending is changed from a plural masculine ending to a plural neuter ending? Maybe it just doesn't matter after all become alumni/alumnae. Or does it? I'll look at my next Alumni Newsletter more critically.

Thanks for this. About time. Next lets work on Index/indices--not indexes

*Some words (like 'alumni') do not have to follow the rules. Society dictates how it will use such a word*

So if "society" starts walking around saying 2+2=5 that's just okie-dokie, is it?

I just say I am a "graduate" from the University and spare myself the trouble of having to remember some dead language.

Better question: What is the plural of Prius?

ALLin - I don't know about you, but my world is WEIRD, not wierd. In my WEIRD world, if you don't like the blog topic, you STOP READING it, and maybe just go away. Frank, I did know about these distinctions, but what I did not know is that ALUMNAE is pronounced ALUMNEE. However, if any of us actually pronounce it that way, I'm sure strange looks would be forthcoming. Not sure why, as I think about it, since it's pronounced ENCYCLO-PEEDIA, and often spelled with the AE, also.

Just stick to the colloquial "alum" and you'll be golden. You're welcome, world.

thanx ron. I now no wat ur talkin bout. cul8r

@ALLin, you talk good.

Does the Gazette have a blog alumni association? If so, I think it's time for me to join Lyke.

Thanks Dr. Talk.

Knowing this is our responsibility as users of the English language. If it's not relevant to you then you must not care about being an educated speaker.

No, Allin, accuracy matters. Words have meanings. English is fluid but it is not lawless

Some words (like 'alumni') do not have to follow the rules. Society dictates how it will use such a word and deviating from such common practices would be wierd. So go ahead people and call all groups and genders of alumni what society has chosen to call them and 'fit in' with the real world - don't be cast into Frank's wierd world.

I really have to wonder if this battle hasn't been pretty well lost. Few people, even in the college track, receive more than cursory introduction to Latin, and expecting the average speaker of English to use proper declension in a dead language is a tall order.
.
Many foreign words are adopted into English wholesale and then become part of the English language and use English plurals and grammar.

Sigma,everything you post is cyberwaste.

You really waste cyberspace for this?

"...is perhaps best know..."

best known