Guild Wars 2

If I have to explain >.<

staffs and staves are both linguistically correct.

Felahr.9830:

staffs and staves are both linguistically correct.

Using Staffs when referring explicitly to Staves is indeed incorrect.

No. it isnt. multiple staff weapons can be referred to as either. they are both correct. welcome to English.

Dictionary says staffs or staves is the plural of staff.

I, personally, use staffs, but really, what difference does it make?

It’s been brought up many times. I think it should be Staves, but perhaps some people might get confused with that. Personally, I keep thinking it’s going to show up stuff from Staffordshire, England myself, as that’s almost always abbreviated to Staffs!

But to be honest, I doubt they’ll change it. It’s just weird how Focus is ‘Foci’ but ‘Staffs’ are still ‘Staffs’.

Staffs is still a correct way as far as I know, when it’s in the context of Bo Staffs, which we have in-game now.

Which is preferred depends on the country, but both staffs and staves are correct.

Wik: staff
staff (plural staffs or staves or staff)
A long, straight stick, especially one used to assist in walking

Bo Staffs? I think I went to school with him.

Staves seems a bit Old English to me. Maybe even Olde English.

Inculpatus cedo.9234:

but really, what difference does it make?

Yeah exactly. It’s like when people want the ‘English’ language flag to change from US to UK flag. As a UK resident, doesn’t really bother me. Doesn’t change anything.

Yeah, I’d prefer if it was Staves, but both are correct. I do like how Adryn is a Stavemaster instead of a Staffmaster, though.

RoseofGilead.8907:

Yeah, I’d prefer if it was Staves, but both are correct. I do like how Adryn is a Stavemaster instead of a Staffmaster, though.

If Adryn were a Staffmaster, he’d be too busy stuck in corporate meetings with Mordremoth to be able to take the fight to the heroes. (Unless that’s why he’s fighting? “YOU ARE RUINING OUR PRODUCTION SCHEDULE! THIS IS A DIRECT MANAGEMENT INTERVENTION!”)

Heh, Adryn the VP in charge of Production doesn’t have the same ring to it.

Staves sounds like barrel parts to me. That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate its use for more than one stick-staff, but I don’t find “staffs” to be wildly incorrect in comparison even though I do generally care about the correct use of language.

“Staves” also refers to unfinished wood material of the lengthy variety, giving it a double meaning (for example, a pile of bow staves that have not yet been made into bows), so I prefer “Staffs” because it has a single meaning and is more precise.

Rhyse.8179:

so I prefer “Staffs” because it has a single meaning and is more precise.

No, it doesnt. It has multiple meanings as does staves. Staves IS the correct term that should be used, as kitten near every dictionary I can think of shows. Staff has two meanings people are going to be most familiar with: “staff” the human resource, and “staff” the wooden stick. The plural of the first is ALSO “staff” in most uses, though "staffs"is applicable. The plural of the second is staves. But people butcher the English language like it’s a friggin cow, so at this point, who the hell really cares? It’s not being changed.

Aidan Savage.2078:

Rhyse.8179:

so I prefer “Staffs” because it has a single meaning and is more precise.

No, it doesnt. It has multiple meanings as does staves. Staves IS the correct term that should be used, as kitten near every dictionary I can think of shows. Staff has two meanings people are going to be most familiar with: “staff” the human resource, and “staff” the wooden stick. The plural of the first is ALSO “staff” in most uses, though "staffs"is applicable. The plural of the second is staves. But people butcher the English language like it’s a friggin cow, so at this point, who the hell really cares? It’s not being changed.

“Staffs’ has been an acceptable plural for Staff (The stick) for centuries, so you’re kinda late to be kittening about it now.

If you’re going to be a conceited grammar troll, at least be a correct one.

In every game that uses a stick as a weapon (magical or otherwise), players have always debated whether to use staffs or staves. Multiple dictionaries say it’s ok, even in the context of a stick to bash versus a focus for magical energies.

Some people like staves as a plural only for stave and some like staffs as a plural regardless.

The only time I insist on using “staff” is when someone wants to say “the staffs of two hospitals” (meaning, in American, the employees, which, yes, is a complete digression — ain’t English wonderful?).

penelopehannibal.8947:

But to be honest, I doubt they’ll change it. It’s just weird how Focus is ‘Foci’ but ‘Staffs’ are still ‘Staffs’.

How is that weird? “Staffs” and “staves” are both linguistically correct plural terms for the word “staff”. “Foci” is the only linguistically correct plural term for the word “focus”. What else did you expect to find there, except “foci”? And if you’re about to say “focuses”, that would be incorrect. “Focuses” is 3rd person present tense for the verb “to focus”, which is obviously not the same as the noun “focus”.

I see the two as the difference between color and colour.

They should just remove stafss/staves althogether. Lets use “stick” and “sticks” instead.

Aidan Savage.2078

The plural of the first is ALSO “staff” in most uses, though "staffs"is applicable.

According to bigger pedants than I it should be staff and staffs just like team and teams.
http://english.stackexchange.com/a/147489