help educating employer

[JOSEPH E. LAFERRIERE]

I am writing to the Taxacom discussion group mailing list
to request assistance enlightening my current employer. Please
do not ask who he is.
   My boss's training is in zoology, butour current project
is mainly botanical. I understand that most zoologists spell
commemorative names with a single "i" added to the person's name.
In botany, however, the rule is two "i's" unless the person's
name ends in a vowel or "-er." (or if the honoree was a woman)
   My boss, however, insists on spelling plant names with a
single i. Thus Yucca schottii becomes Yucca schotti. I photocopied
for him the portions of the ICBN explaining the rule in some
detail. I even underlined the sentence which says that to
violate this rule is "an error to be corrected." The boss's
reply is below.
   My problem is that I am not a Latin scholar. I can merely
quote the rule, not explain it. I am hoping someone can help
by answering a few questions:

1) Is the double-i rule based on Classical Latin? How would
Pliny the Elder have translated "Schott's Yucca?"

2) Is he correct in his assertion below that the trend in
zoology has been in the opposite direction?

3) Can the case be made that zoologists are using faulty
Latin by using a single i?

Thank you very much for your time and assistance. Any help
anyone can give would be vrey much appreciated.

Joseph E. Laferriere, PhD
JosephL at aztec.asu.edu


Dear Joe,
   I am aware of the use of ii in botanical names. As I explained,
we are not using that ending in the current project in
order to achieve greater consistancy with the nomenclature
of zoology and microbiology.
    In the past, zoology also used ii, but most recent works
do not. I brought several references to the lab which
you are welcome to look at if you wish to observe such
usage.
   It seems a bit odd that botany uses ii for words that
are supposed to be based on Latin. This does not seem
reasonable regarding pronunciation considering modern Latin-
derived languages such as Spanish that never double vowels
in one word.
   In any case, there is a reason for our using one i.

Sincerely,

xxxxx

--
"There are two secrets to success. The first is not telling
everything you know."

Dr. Joseph E. Laferriere