-i or -ii? (ICZN)

[Thomas Pape]

W.Wuster wrote:

>My original question was basically whether the name of a species named
>after a man whose name ends in -i (unlatinised) will automatically and
>obligatorily end in -ii, or whether this falls under the remit of Art
>33d, where it is stated that endings in -i or -ii are, in effect
>immutable. From the answers I have received, it seems that the former is
>the case.

As I am (partly) to blame, I should perhaps explain the beauty in Dr Thayers
recent statement.

As cited by Thayer, the Code (31a, ii) states that one may use a modern name


"...................................................................... by
adding to the stem of that
        name -i if the personal name is that of a man,
..........................................
        .....................the stem of such a name is determined by the
action of the
        original author when forming the genitive."

Note that the central issue here is "THE STEM".

Returning to the species named after Mr Tschudi, we should thus accept Xus
tschudi.  Hendrik Segers already pointed out that the name may be considered
a noun in aposition. Even if implicitly or explicitly given as a name in the
genitive case, unless internal evidence shows inconsistent or erroneous
grammar, we will have to accept that the author might have considered THE
STEM of the name Tschudi as Tschud-, which thus becomes tschudi in the
masculine genitive.

Unfair as this may seem, I checked the Code glossary and learned that for
the purpose of the Code, the stem (of a personal name) is "that part of a
personal name to which is added a genitive case-ending".

That's the argument. The stem is determined entirely "by the action of the
original author". If there is internal evidence in favour of considering
tschudi as genitive, the stem is whatever remains when the terminal -i is
removed.

Did I get it right this time?

Thomas Pape


_____________________________________

Thomas Pape
Department of Entomology
Swedish Museum of Natural History
Box 50007
SE - 104 05 Stockholm
SWEDEN

thomas.pape at nrm.se
http://www.nrm.se/en/pape.html.en
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