Disputatio:Mare Philippinense

Lemma: Mare Philippinense vs. Mare Philippinum

Attestations of the names of plants & animals are much more frequent for Mare Philippinense than for Mare Philippinum. The pattern of attestations suggests that the form in -inus, -a, -um derives from the name Philippus. Supporting examples: Philippinae, ex Philippo II rege Hispaniae appellatae, et Gymnasium Philippinum (schola anno 1527 conditum) ex Philippo I Hassiae appellatum. It then seems likely that the form in -ensis, -e derives from the geographical location known as the Philippinae. So we have a primary derivation (ex Philippo) and a secondary one (ex Philippino), and the accumulation of morphemes = Philipp- + -in- + -ensis. Of course, if the sea took its name from Philip, rather than from the archipelago, then the better term for it (though not for the plants & animals catalogued in the footnotes) could be Mare Philippinum. Something for further investigation! IacobusAmor (disputatio) 17:20, 9 Aprilis 2012 (UTC)