daedra/deadroth : The Elder Scrolls Series Discussion

» Sat May 28, 2011 3:11 am

Ah, the world of semantics. Short answer: Daedra is plural, Daedroth is singular. Long answer: Almost no one uses these terms correctly in Tamriel. Why? Because, just like in our own world, words change meanings out of popular usage. There is a creature simply called a Daedroth, after all: those big, bipedal, reptilian beasts that are the terror of the four corners of Tamriel. Somehow, in ages past, they were given this confusing name, probably by someone who, when asked what that creature was, gave a generic answer which was taken to be a specific one.

thats what the imperial library says in many places.

then my queston is;if one deadra is deadroth,many are daedra,how did the deadroth (big stupid creature) get its name? http://www.imperial-library.info/bestiaries/oblivion_large_daedroth-1.jpg

if a creature got the name that "is" deadra,its got to be more powerfull than the games display it?

» Sat May 28, 2011 10:52 am

than my queston is;if one deadra is deadroth,many are daedra,how did the deadroth (big stupid creature) get its name? http://www.imperial-library.info/bestiaries/oblivion_large_daedroth-1.jpg

Design by comittee. Probably the same thing as why Daedric Princes are also called Daedric Lords when there is a creature called a Daedra Lord.

» Sat May 28, 2011 6:40 am

...Long answer: Almost no one uses these terms correctly in Tamriel... Your answer is the "long" one.

» Sat May 28, 2011 8:50 am

First of all, it's daedroth and daedra. About the creature - it's called Daedroth because it's a Daedroth. For some reason Imperials(other races may have different names for the creature) who saw it couldn't come up with something more original.

» Sat May 28, 2011 10:33 am

Daedroth - either any singular entity of the Daedra, or a specific crocodile-like Daedroth in service to Molag Bal.
Daedra - plural form of the first definition of Daedroth. Alternatively, singular version of this definition.
Daedroths - plural form of the second definition.

I hope that helps.

» Sat May 28, 2011 1:26 pm

Daedroth - either any singular entity of the Daedra, or a specific crocodile-like Daedroth in service to Molag Bal.
Daedra - plural form of the first definition of Daedroth. Alternatively, singular version of this definition.
Daedroths - plural form of the second definition.

I hope that helps.

I always treated Daedroth (crocodile monsterd) in plural as Daedroth (kinda like Deer). "Look, a horde of Daedroth!"

» Sat May 28, 2011 10:40 am

Nope, it's officially Daedroths.

» Sat May 28, 2011 3:50 am

...and then there's Aedra and Aedroth...

» Sat May 28, 2011 2:50 am

It's a little known fact that many of the world's animals do not have particularly meaningful names either. Many names of smalls animals, for example, such as mice, squirrels, birds and what not, can eventually be etymologically retraced to meanings such as "that little animal" or "that brown thing". Daedroth falls within the same etymologically uninspired category.

Also: it sounded cool.

» Sat May 28, 2011 3:22 pm

The designers deliberately included such malapropisms to make their fictional words more realistic.

Suppose I say "this is an interesting data", does the sentence strike you as incorrect? If you're pedantic enough, you should scream that "data" is plural and the singular is "datum". But except for language pedants, nobody on these forums (fora!) would care about that.

Eventally, usage trumps scholarly definitions, and the incorrect forms become correct.

So it's the same thing here, except it's all artificial.

» Sat May 28, 2011 12:37 pm

Suppose I say "this is an interesting data", does the sentence strike you as incorrect? If you're pedantic enough, you should scream that "data" is plural and the singular is "datum". But except for language pedants, nobody on these forums (fora!) would care about that.

Why isn't it fori?

» Sat May 28, 2011 5:08 am

It's not "flori" because the Nominative plural of the latin word "forum" is "fora" .

Hope that solves it ^^ (lovely how this has gone from Elder Scroll to latin

)

» Sat May 28, 2011 8:45 am

Suppose I say "this is an interesting data", does the sentence strike you as incorrect? If you're pedantic enough, you should scream that "data" is plural and the singular is "datum". But except for language pedants, nobody on these forums (fora!) would care about that.

And any scientists.

» Sat May 28, 2011 4:22 pm

It's not "flori" because the Nominative plural of the latin word "forum" is "fora" .

Hope that solves it ^^ (lovely how this has gone from Elder Scroll to latin

)

You're not quite right.

It's "fora" instead of "fori" because "forum" is a neuter-gender noun. If it ended with "-us" (like "fungUS" instead of "forUM"), it'd be masculine, and THEN the plural ends with an "i." Fungus, fungi. Datum, data. Forum, fora.

» Sat May 28, 2011 5:04 pm

not the old daedra daedroth thing again...

» Sat May 28, 2011 10:36 am

You're not quite right.

It's "fora" instead of "fori" because "forum" is a neuter-gender noun. If it ended with "-us" (like "fungUS" instead of "forUM"), it'd be masculine, and THEN the plural ends with an "i." Fungus, fungi. Datum, data. Forum, fora.

I know a fun-gi...

» Sat May 28, 2011 6:41 am

You're not quite right.

It's "fora" instead of "fori" because "forum" is a neuter-gender noun. If it ended with "-us" (like "fungUS" instead of "forUM"), it'd be masculine, and THEN the plural ends with an "i." Fungus, fungi. Datum, data. Forum, fora.

I don't see how I am "not quite right" when you say the same things as me with different words but add a masculin noun to the lot (fungus). But whatever makes you happy :twirl:

Oh I get it you explained why... yeah it was so obvious to me the "i" was for masculin :facepalm: (sorry...)

» Sat May 28, 2011 7:11 am

If it ended with "-us" (like "fungUS" instead of "forUM"), it'd be masculine

Like Venus.

... What?

» Sat May 28, 2011 10:42 am

Like Agricola.

Other languages were created by continuity-impaired developers as well! Who knew?

» Sat May 28, 2011 4:04 am

The designers deliberately included such malapropisms to make their fictional words more realistic.

Suppose I say "this is an interesting data", does the sentence strike you as incorrect? If you're pedantic enough, you should scream that "data" is plural and the singular is "datum". But except for language pedants, nobody on these forums (fora!) would care about that.

Just to be pedantic, wouldn't you really say "piece of data"? Or can data be used in a more explicitly noun-y sense in American English?

» Sat May 28, 2011 1:50 pm

Just to be pedantic, wouldn't you really say "piece of data"? Or can data be used in a more explicitly noun-y sense in American English?

It would either be "This is interesting data." or "This is an interesting piece of data."

But saying "This is an interesting data" doesn't work.