Re: CHAT: fiery spirits (was: THE WORLD OF THE JINN)

Costentin Cornomorus scripsit:

> > but how can you expect one
> > brought up in the classics to use
> > singular 'homo sapiens' in apposition to the
> > plural 'us'?    :)
>
> By doing just that! "Us Homo sapiens..."
> Biological Latin ain't what we studied in school!
Technically, Homo sapiens is the name of our species, and as such is
singular.  In my view, we are parts of that singular entity, not members of
a group with that name.

--
John Cowan  jcowan@reutershealth.com  www.reutershealth.com  www.ccil.org/~cowan
"The exception proves the rule."  Dimbulbs think: "Your counterexample proves
my theory."  Latin students think "'Probat' means 'tests': the exception puts
the rule to the proof."  But legal historians know it means "Evidence for an
exception is evidence of the existence of a rule in cases not excepted from."

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