On Mon, 3 Jul 2006, Dik T. Winter wrote:
Phil Clark writes:
On Sun, 2 Jul 2006 09:54:57 +0100, "Richard M Willis"

Is panini already a plural word ?
Yes, the singular is panino.

As well as "salame" is the singular of "salami" ...

.... as native italian improper usage of the plural form sounds to me at
least funny when not irritating ...

I tend to disagree. What is plural in one language can very well become
singular in another language. Whether it was plural in the original
lanuage does not matter very much.

I tend to disagree with the latter statement as a matter of principle,
although it might be correct as an observation of actual usage.

In italian we have the rule that foreign words are invariable, so one
should always use the singular form even at the plural (we have singular
and plural articles ... and genders too). But there are some curious
practical (not codified) exceptions : the spanish word "murales" is
common for "wall paintings", and the other spanish word "peones" is
common to indicate "unqualified" members of parliament (not party
leaders, not chairmen of committees etc.) ... both are plural forms, but
commonly used also at the singular.

I guess a spaniard will feel like me when I hear "one panini"

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