[net.nlang] A Query

dje@5941ux.UUCP (06/14/83)

If a three-part series is called a trilogy, and a four-part series a
tetralogy, is there a word for a two-part series?  (please, something
more serious than "biology").

Dave Ellis / Bell Labs, Piscataway NJ

rcj@burl.UUCP (06/15/83)

If a three-part series is called a trilogy,
and a four-part series is called a tetralogy,
then a two-part series is called a bilogy, not a biology.

If it is a really trashy, no-redeeming-features two-parter,
you could leave out the second 'o' as well.

:-)
-- 

The MAD Programmer -- 919-228-3814 (Cornet 291)
alias: Curtis Jackson	...![ floyd sb1 mhuxv ]!burl!rcj

levy@princeton.UUCP (06/16/83)

A "duology" would be the correct derivation.  I don't think it's used.

donn@sdchema.UUCP (06/22/83)

References: 5941ux.287 burl.181

	If a three-part series is called a trilogy,
	and a four-part series is called a tetralogy,
	then a two-part series is called a bilogy, not a biology.

...and a one-part series is called a monology.

Someone had to do it,

Donn Seeley  UCSD Chemistry Dept. RRCF  ucbvax!sdcsvax!sdchema!donn
	     UCSD Linguistics Dept.     sdamos!donn@nprdc

PS  This is what comes of reading too many stories by Stanislaw Lem.

PPS  My vote is for "dilogy".  This would be on analogy (sic) with

	monad, dyad, triad, tetrad, ...  (for linguists or philosophers) or
	monomer, dimer, trimer, tetramer, ... (for chemists) or
	monode (why not?), diode, triode, tetrode, ... (for EEs)

I think "bi-" is Latin but "di-" is Greek (any classicists out there?).