this post was submitted on 13 Jan 2024
91 points (96.0% liked)

Showerthoughts

29692 readers
984 users here now

A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. A showerthought should offer a unique perspective on an ordinary part of life.

Rules

  1. All posts must be showerthoughts
  2. The entire showerthought must be in the title
  3. Avoid politics
    1. NEW RULE as of 5 Nov 2024, trying it out
    2. Political posts often end up being circle jerks (not offering unique perspective) or enflaming (too much work for mods).
    3. Try c/politicaldiscussion, volunteer as a mod here, or start your own community.
  4. Posts must be original/unique
  5. Adhere to Lemmy's Code of Conduct-----

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Off the top of my head, I can't think of a word in English that ends with "is" while being singular, only plurals and uncountables come to mind, so I can't really follow the examples of other words. What makes it even weirder, I'm not sure how to pronounce Illinoises... Would it be as written, or as if an Illinois was pronounced by someone who has never encountered it before? Illinoi are also meh, since now plural looks as a singular and the other way round.

all 21 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world 23 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The plural of “Quebecois” is spelled the same, but the last syllable is pronounced “kwaz”. So by analogy, the plural of Illinois would be pronounced “ill-in-waz”.

[–] CandleTiger@programming.dev 14 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Yes and for the same reason — they are both French words for groups of people.

Except two states called Illinois is different from two people from the Illini tribe and sometimes plural Quebecois is Quebeckers so I wouldn’t place any solid bets on sanity in naming when we get our 2nd Illinois

[–] rockSlayer@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago (2 children)

You speak like a second Illinois is inevitable. Is there something you know? Hands off Michigan, but Iowa and Wisconsin are fair game

[–] bizzle@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

I live in northwestern Illinois, Iowa can keep their independence for their cheap gas but we really should annex Wisconsin for their geography alone.

[–] CandleTiger@programming.dev 1 points 10 months ago

I was thinking more like a split into North Illinois and South Illinois. I think we’d have to see South Illinois standing on its own before any mergers with Iowa or Indiana are on the table. Wisconsin or Michigan… I do not see that happening, no.

[–] negativeyoda@lemmy.world 19 points 10 months ago

Illini? As in what the University of Illinois sports teams are called

[–] LemmyKnowsBest@lemmy.world 12 points 10 months ago (1 children)

It's probably like scissors. No matter how many there are. It's just scissors.

[–] Oisteink@feddit.nl 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Example: “Can I have one scissors please?”

“I’m afraid you can not! We are not having any scissors left…“

[–] hperrin@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] Oisteink@feddit.nl 1 points 10 months ago

Someone had bough all the other scissor

[–] Prking@lemmy.world 11 points 10 months ago

Basis becomes Bases Crisis becomes Crises Oasis Oases Echolalia Echolalies Etc Generally the vowel becomes an e

Illinois Illinoes

[–] originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com 10 points 10 months ago

i think they called it ~~misery~~ 'missouri'

[–] Apollonius_Cone@lemmy.world 10 points 10 months ago

If you're mad at someone, it would be illinoyed.

[–] Edge004@lemm.ee 7 points 10 months ago

Maybe spelled the same, but with the "s" pronounced?

[–] guyrocket@kbin.social 7 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

It did not start out as an English word. It came from the Miami-Illinos language to Algonquin and/or Ojibwe to French then to English. So applying English language rules to a non-English word will be difficult.

But as AbouBenAdhem suggests ITT, treating it like the French word "Quebecquois" makes a lot of sense.

Info about the etymology:
https://www.etymonline.com/word/Illinois
https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/illinois/articles/this-is-how-illinois-got-its-name
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois
https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/Illinois

[–] edgemaster72@lemmy.world 6 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Illinoare

Or perhaps if you cleaned that up, Illinoir

[–] caut_R@lemmy.world 6 points 10 months ago

I think over the course of years it would eventually end up becoming Illinoises, no matter if the word came from a different language. Words tend to get assimilated like that. It sounds weird now cause, well, there are no two Illinois so practically no one ever used it in plural. I’d pronounce it literally as „noises“ as in noise. But I‘m no linguistic expert, heck I‘m not even a native English speaker. It‘s just my belief.

[–] WeeSheep@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] metostopholes@lemmy.world 11 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] ivanafterall@kbin.social 5 points 10 months ago