Names of places and highland attire

[TheKiltedWonder]

Brother - Brethren
Foot - feet
alumna - alumnae
index - indices
datum - data
cherub - cherubim
inuk - inuit
son-in-law - sons-in-law

In order to properly use a word that stems from another language, I suggest that we go back to that other language.

Not to be a nitpicky linguist, but I believe brother/brethren, foot/feet, son/sons are all English words from Old English and use English plural endings. "-en" is an old English ending, that is still seen in words such as "oxen". The "o" to "e" change is the result of fronting vowels to make a plural, such as in foot/feet, mouse/mice. Son becomes sons because that is the noun. This is like Attornies General and Surgeons General (I've always wanted to dress up for Halloween in a military uniform and put a stethescope around my neck). <opinionated statement> Also, I feel like datum/data is used a bit mean-spiritedly in some halls of higher-learning to put down students without a working knowledge of Latin endings </opinionated statement>

That said, I totally agree that the best choice is to use the plural found in the native language, and I totally agree with the point you made with the Latin/Hebrew/Inuit. Unless of course the plural in the native-language is so unknown by English speakers that you're the only one using it, because in "proper" language a lot of times majority rules; if you're the only one using the Gaelic plural, then it will be hard for that to win out over the English plural. The lecture is over now; you may all wake up and move on to your next class. There will be a quiz next week.