what would be the proper plural of "Burning Man"?

[ragnar1963]

Referring to the annual event, not the burned-on-Saturday icon itself:
"I've attended four Burning Mans."
"I've attended four Burning Men."
Both sound awkward.


Yes, it's an extremely slow day here at work, why do you ask?

[NaughtySnowAngel]

How about simply saying....

"I've attended Burning Man four times"

[ragnar1963]

~~thanks for your elegant rewording!~~
maybe that's the only solution. . .
seems like there should be some kind of usable plural, though.

[stuart]

burnings man? ya know, like, attorneys general.

[Last Real Burner]

burning menzes

probably,
mr smith

[Keltoi]

Or, I have attended four Burning Men Festivals or Celebrations or Events only one problem, those meanings can also refer to other activities of Burning Man and not the main event itself.. otherwise good question, kinda like why 4 moose and not meese?

[Bob]

Burntards.

[Keltoi]

I have been to 4 "Burnings" or I have been to several "Burns"........unlike myself, I have not been yet......and hope to someday....it sounds great

[madmatt]

Most common one I've heard is "Burns"

[Patience]

manburnings
burningmanii
burningmanses

[BlueBirdPoof]

"burningmanses"
Oh, like the Oakland Firestorm.

[technopatra]

"burningmenses"...like the mood I'm in right now where I wanna tear everybody's head off and set them on fire, then cry with joy at the pretty colors while eating chocolate.

Sorry. Somebody had to go there. As you were.

[Severian]

Seriously? It would be "Burning Mans", in the same way that the term for more than one fly ball is flys instead of flies, or the term for more than one computer mouse is mouses, not mice.

Attribution here to Steven Pinker in his book "Words and Rules", which examines the roots of language and interestingly clears up some weird grammar along the way.

Pinker would also be the first to say that it doesn't really matter what words you use or how you spell them, as long as you're being understood!

[ragnar1963]

. . . and now that my computer difficulties are resolved and I'm finally back on the e-playa, I can see I have many thoughtful and helpful responses waiting.

"Thanks a bunch!"--Marge Gunderson

[Rob the Wop]

Burning Mun.

[robbidobbs]

I've been to 5 Burns.
The BurningMans in the past have all been better than the present BurningMan.
Or collective...like fish.
[/i]

[Wind_Borne]

the term for more than one computer mouse is mouses...

Oh. I always thought the term that was hopeless tangle of wires.

[Guest]

burning menses?

eeeeiiiiuuuuwww...

[Licentious Queen]

burning menses?

eeeeiiiiuuuuwww...

HAHA!!! I ditto that eeeeiiiiuuuuwww. Man, that's bad. Did you come up with that or wass it previously posted?

[Guest]

i think i came up with it.

[foamin' at the mouth]

Or collective...like fish.

If you're talking about the same species in plural it's 'fish' but multiple species its 'fishes' right?

[Licentious Queen]

Or collective...like fish.

If you're talking about the same species in plural it's 'fish' but multiple species its 'fishes' right?

multiple species? or multiple fish? I'm confused. Because if you're talking about multiple fish it's always fish. Like: "Hey, there are a lot of fish in that tank!"

but I don't know if that changes with multiple species...

[BlueBirdPoof]

One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish

Foam is correct. Multiple sardines--fish. Multiple sardines and one deep sea angler--fishes.

Actually that's to the best of my memory. Maybe someone can humiliate me by finding some other usage on-line.

(She's been the Cryptofishist too.)

[Dan D. Lyon]

Referring to the annual event, not the burned-on-Saturday icon itself:
"I've attended four Burning Mans."
"I've attended four Burning Men."
Both sound awkward.

It’s a singular semantic thing — how many you’s or me’s are there? The burning man is like an individual, and the annual event is a birthday-party-revival-immolation-ritual (check here http://www.burningman.com/press/myths.html#generator for other colorful wordings). Hence there is only one b-man with many unique incarnations. So, like NaughtySnowAngel so simply put it "I've attended Burning Man four times" -- you might add the *individual* years "'96, '97, 2000 and 2003."

[Wind_Borne]

the term for more than one computer mouse is mouses...

Honestly, I had thought the plural for computer mouse was computer mice (and I like the image).

But then, I'm a track ball guy. And the plural of track ball is, of course, track balls. Or is it tracks ball?

[tonka]

how many burns have you been to?



thats how i'd put it

[rodent]

how many burns have you been to?

I definitely agree with you there.

but in more linguistic terms, BM is an event so...

I've been to 4 Birthday Parties this week.

I attended 3 Dead Shows this year.

I've participated in 4 Burning Mans since 1995.

---
rodent (putting the eek in geek)

[III]

burning man is the big stick they light on fire.

you've probably gone to a couple of the festivals, though.

(i think, but am not sure, that it's actually called the black rock arts festival.)

[Dan D. Lyon]

The 'stick' man (wooden sculpture) is a symbol (no label attached) that has a cycle akin to the Phoenix (burning/returning bird myth), which also has a singular namesake. If there was a festival to accompany it, you wouldn't say, "I've attended 4 Phoenix's", but "I've attended 4 Phoenix burns" or "I've attended 'burning Phoenix' 4 times."

My ticket stub from last year is titled "Burning Man 2003" no mention of 'brc arts festival'.

I've been to b-man many times and each year is so unique, I associate the year very strongly with the memory. For instance the difference of '96 and '97 was literally like the themes 'Dante's inferno' to 'fertility'.