|
|
|
|
|
by robocat
482 days ago
|
|
But you wrote it in English. Perhaps if you were taught in a grammar school, you would write it by hand something akin to: οἱ πολλοί For some UK examples of usage listen to: https://youglish.com/pronounce/Hoi_polloi/english/uk Showing off your education is oftentimes used to signal high status. That often fails. You can of course argue with the OED: Hoi is the Greek word for the, and the phrase hoi polloi means ‘the many.’ This has led some traditionalists to insist that hoi polloi should not be used in English with the, since that would be to state the word the twice. But, once established in English, expressions such as hoi polloi are typically treated as fixed units and are subject to the rules and conventions of English.
Disclaimer: I'm one of the οἱ ὀλίγοι from the colonies, so the only thing I was learnt is baaaaaaa. |
|
I am usually a traditionalist but on this one I think the tradition to follow is the English one. I prefer the traditional English pronunciation of Latin (so "caveat" is "kay-vee-it"). Hell, I would prefer if we still nativised foreign loanwords and names: Saint Peter wasn't called "Peter" obviously, but I don't speak Greek or Aramaic or whatever. Peking isn't what the Chinese call it but neither is "Bayzhing" which is how English people pronounce Beijing, and so on. Plus now "Peking duck" doesn't make any sense...
(grumble)