Re: Strange English in the manual

[David Bobroff]

>Yes, I'm continuing the off-topic rambling, but I for one am an
>American and have always used "staffs" both in writing and
>conversation.  http://m-w.com is also quite informative on the
>subject :
>
>http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=staff
>
>  plural "staffs" or "staves"
>  singular "staff" or "stave"
>

Quoting from the online Merriam-Webster:

5 plural staffs a : the officers chiefly responsible for the internal
operations of an institution or business b : a group of officers appointed
to assist a civil executive or commanding officer c : military or naval
officers not eligible for operational command d : the personnel who assist
a director in carrying out an assigned task e plural staff : a member of a
staff

Nowhere above is there a specific reference to the plural of "staff" as a
musical symbol.

See also:

http://www.grovemusic.com/shared/views/article.htmlfrom=az&section=music.26519

The article talks about Staff [stave] and in the body uses the plural
"staves" and never "staffs".

Also:

http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/staff

This quotes the 1913 Webster's and, indeed, as Peter Dobratz says,
indicates that the plural in meanings 1-9, which include the horizontal
lines used in musical notation, is "Staves" or "Staffs".  By convention,
"staves" is the preferred as it is listed first.

-David