Bonsai or Bonsai’s

[Hartinez]

Completely stupid thread warning. But I had to! When talking our hobby in the plural do we refer to a group of “bonsai” or “bonsai’s”?

I’m pretty sure it’s “bonsai”, but I’m no expert at this language and don’t speak none too good.

it reminds of a a small town in northern New Mexico called Pojuaque. There mascot is the Elk, and we used to always tease the cheerleaders because they would say Elk’s. But Elk is singular and plural and wellll....

My goodness, dumb thread I know.

back to bonsai/bonsai’s.

 

[0soyoung]

And, it is a noun, bonsai.

But, it has been 'American-ized' into a verb --> "You ought to bonsai that tree"
an adjective --> "Is that a bonsai tree?"
and a gerund --> "On BNut, people talk about bonsai-ing trees"

It is natural to expect that we would make it into an adverb, but adverbs died decades ago.


Now that we are on the subject, what is the future perfect tense of the verb bonsai?

 

[rockm]

Completely stupid thread warning. But I had to! When talking our hobby in the plural do we refer to a group of “bonsai” or “bonsai’s”?

I’m pretty sure it’s “bonsai”, but I’m no expert at this language and don’t speak none too good.

it reminds of a a small town in northern New Mexico called Pojuaque. There mascot is the Elk, and we used to always tease the cheerleaders because they would say Elk’s. But Elk is singular and plural and wellll....

My goodness, dumb thread I know.

back to bonsai/bonsai’s.

Bonsai--period...Like deer ain't deers...;-)

 

[Hartinez]

Bonsai--period...Like deer ain't deers...;-)

My thoughts also. Elk/elk’s. It was so funny watching a cheerleading troop clapping in unison saying “GO. ELK’S”. Too funny.

 

[Hartinez]

And, it is a noun, bonsai.

But, it has been 'American-ized' into a verb --> "You ought to bonsai that tree"
an adjective --> "Is that a bonsai tree?"
and a gerund --> "On BNut, people talk about bonsai-ing trees"

It is natural to expect that we would make it into an adverb, but adverbs died decades ago.


Now that we are on the subject, what is the future perfect tense of the verb bonsai?

Bonsai-ed? After another 10 years of growing in the ground and another 10 in a pot, this tree will be Bonsai-ed? Or I will be dead. One or the other.

 

[Traken]

The grammar prude in me is going to also note, even if it were pluralized with an s, it'd be bonsais, rather than bonsai's, which would be the possessive form of bonsai. ;P

 

[atlarsenal]

So how many of you pronounce it correctly around others that are in the hobby and pronounce it bons-eye to friends not in the hobby?

If I pronounce it correctly with people that don’t know the hobby they don’t know what the hell I’m talking about.

 

[Starfox]

s'

 

[bonsai45]

what is the future perfect tense of the verb bonsai?

it's unutterable!

future perfect is used for a completed action.. but bonsai ends when i end LOL

i will never 'have bonsai'ed'. i bonsai, therefore i am

 

[Hartinez]

So how many of you pronounce it correctly around others that are in the hobby and pronounce it bons-eye to friends not in the hobby?

If I pronounce it correctly with people that don’t know the hobby they don’t know what the hell I’m talking about.

I feel this thoroughly. Around friends I say What sounds like banzai, but around other hobbyists/enthusiasts I say the correct pronunciation of Bone-sai. When I say that around non hobbyists/enthusiasts I get a strange look. It’s all semantics I suppose.

 

[Mike Hennigan]

I always just say “bonsai trees” when pluralizing...

 

[Crawforde]

Future perfect of bonsai is compost. It’s irregular.
what if you live in a place with more than one species of deer.
a deer could eat your bonsai
A herd of deer could eat your bonsai
A group of deers could eat your bonsai.
dam.
I’m leaving work early now to make sure my chickens aren’t tipping my sticks out of their ugly containers.

 

[bonsaichile]

I feel this thoroughly. Around friends I say What sounds like banzai, but around other hobbyists/enthusiasts I say the correct pronunciation of Bone-sai. When I say that around non hobbyists/enthusiasts I get a strange look. It’s all semantics I suppose.

Actually, that is not semantics, but phonetics... just sayin'

 

[PiñonJ]

I feel this thoroughly. Around friends I say What sounds like banzai, but around other hobbyists/enthusiasts I say the correct pronunciation of Bone-sai. When I say that around non hobbyists/enthusiasts I get a strange look. It’s all semantics I suppose.

Hate to break it to you, and I hate to revive a topic that was beat to death before, but ‘bone’ is not the correct pronunciation, either. The mouth ends up in too much of a rounded/pursed shape and the sound is too close to a diphthong. Unfortunately, there is no equivalent sound in English. But if you have correct Spanish pronunciation, the way a Spanish speaker would pronounce it is very similar to the Japanese.
Now, for potentially more bad news, I agree with the cheerleaders. They weren’t cheering on a herd of animals, but a group of human individuals, each of whom is borrowing the name of their mascot. One of them is an Elk (with an upper case E), two are Elks. Besides, would you have made less fun of them if they had yelled “Go Elk?” Furthermore, the BPOE is the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (i.e. The Elks Club).

 

[Hartinez]

Hate to break it to you, and I hate to revive a topic that was beat to death before, but ‘bone’ is not the correct pronunciation, either. The mouth ends up in too much of a rounded/pursed shape and the sound is too close to a diphthong. Unfortunately, there is no equivalent sound in English. But if you have correct Spanish pronunciation, the way a Spanish speaker would pronounce it is very similar to the Japanese.
Now, for potentially more bad news, I agree with the cheerleaders. They weren’t cheering on a herd of animals, but a group of human individuals, each of whom is borrowing the name of their mascot. One of them is an Elk (with an upper case E), two are Elks. Besides, would you have made less fun of them if they had yelled “Go Elk?” Furthermore, the BPOE is the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (i.e. The Elks Club).

you make a great point about the “elks”. Maybe I just wanted to talk shit when I was 16. It’s not bad news, not good news, I could really care less. All in all it’s a bit of stupid topic to even create a thread on, I was just procrastinating on the hours of sanding I needed to do! . I mean really does any of it matter?!?! Say the word as you wish, as long as you enjoy it.

 

[PiñonJ]

Now, for something really important, what’s the plural of beer? May seem obvious, but in some parts of Canada, you’d get a different answer.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

One bonsai tree or several bonsai trees.

 

[Mike Hennigan]

Unbeknownst to the masses... the plural of fish is fishes.

 

[just.wing.it]

Unbeknownst to the masses... the plural of fish is fishes.

Haha!
I thought it was feesh!

 

[0soyoung]

One bonsai tree or several bonsai trees.

But isn't that saying one tree in a pot tree or several tree in a pot trees?