Sleeping Positions - ...what does yours say about you?

Spider-Man · 2003-09-21 09:41:49

I think you just tend to use words in the way they were taught when you were in school.
To me, the words are:-
Foetus (I imagined this owed something to Greek, not Latin?)

Nope, I as I cited, fetus was originally Latin, not Greek. Indeed, many Greek words have that "oe" diphthong, and even some original Latin ones as well. However, fetus, like the majority of Latin vocabularly, is quite originally Latin, not owing to any other language except the long-extinct Indo-European. As the etymology of "fetus" has shown its spelling has not changed all the way through Middle English into our modern speech, and since America does not officiate such a spelling containing "oe", it can only be assumed that "foetus" is a modern affectation of the British dialect.

That doesn't make it wrong, or unpretty. Those are simply the objective facts.

Haemorrhage

This is not technically an accepted spelling of "hemorrhage" in the English language; however, I think it should be, for the Latin word, as I noted above, is haemorrhagia.

Orthopaedic
Paedophilia (When I was a child, our family reference library, such as it was, included an Encyclopaedia .. ! This spelling was engraved on the cover.)

The 'e' is a little odd (I think it should be an 'i'), but isn't not unacceptable as far as I see it, for the Greek word for child is paid or pais.

Manoeuvre (From the French)

Yup, I like that spelling, though it's definitely more strongly associated with the British dialect.

Honour and Colour (Again the French words have a 'u'.)

To reitterate, "honor" has never, ever, ever been spelled with a 'u' before the seventeenth century. One can easily observe an original manuscript by Shakespeare to garner that, as well as other spellings. Of course, as "honour" is now the official form in Britain, all new texts are reprinted with that spelling, as well as other contemporary spellings.

Again, it doesn't mean it's wrong, it just means it's new, and, from an American perspective, appears unnecessary.

As for "colour", that's been with a 'u' since Old French. However, I prefer the American spelling because it is closer to the original Latin, color, spelled just as we spell it today.

Knife (The French for penknife is 'canif'.)

Hehe, I don't know what you all have against "knife"...

Metre (From the French again. A 'metre' is a unit of distance. A 'meter' is something you measure something with, like a 'thermometer' or 'ammeter'.)

That's an interesting differentiation. I'll make note of that.
As for the etymology, "meter" has actually been the spelling since Middle French. However, in the eighteenth century with the influx of the French-originated metric system, "metre" became an additional spelling that proliferated throughout the English-speaking world in addition.

Tyre (For your car. 'Tire' is what happens to you when you wade through the kind of boring cr** I'm writing here! )

Actually, it's the opposite. To become fatigued was originally spelled tyre, from Middle English. Conversely, the inflated rubber tubes we put on our cars were derived from the word attire, the dress of our vehicles, so to speak.
Nevertheless, if that's the modern British affectation, sobeit.

Incidentally, I still feel quite daring leaving the 'e' out of 'judgement'!! As in "Terminator 2. Judgment Day."

Hehe, I always prefer the 'e' as well. Still, both are fully acceptable spellings in modern English, though I might attribute "judgment" to the American dialect due to its seeming attempt at simplification.

SpiderMan, I'm not sure that the highly stylized 'f', as it has been called here, did in fact disappear from German altogether after Hitler. Our German Master in grammar school taught us the 'estset' (as it is known in German) as part of our studies.

That's completely different. The esset is this archaic letter, here: ?
It looks kind of like a lowercase Greek beta. It was, and still is in modern German, used as a representation for two 's's.

You're right about it being archaic, though, and that it's still in use. But all that fancy "crap" that adorned older forms of German, like the long 's' was largely done away with during WWII, for greater efficiency. *Shrugs.*

It is indeed a substitute 's', as Pat rightly points out, and not an 'f'. At one stage, I knew the rules governing its use in German spelling but, alas, despite dear old Mr. Billington's best efforts, most of the ponderous rules of German grammar have since escaped me! (Actually he was affectionately known to us pupils as 'Basher Billington' because of his tendency to inculcate the mysteries of the German language into a boy's memory by means of a swift and firm application of the edge of a text-book to the base of the boy's skull!! I kid you not.)

Wow, what a tyrant. Thank heavens I had less abusive teachers.

So, if I use what appears to be antiquated spelling, and it irritates anyone, I apologise and hope the sufferer can summon the patience to humour me!!!
:laugh:
I won't labour the point any further!

*Chuckles.* Well, I don't think that I have a problem with antiquated spellings. On the contrary, I prefer them! being a classicist and all. However, as I believe I've shown, it is the American dialect which appears to have the more ancient orthographic tendencies, having words that directly resemble the original Latin of the Romans.

As always, it doesn't mean it's wrong, or bad. It's just different. I don't prefer it for myself, though in fact I use it in the stories I write for more regal characters when they have dialogue. It's a different flavor, and, being an Anglophile, it's a part of the British culture I do find charming.

Palomar · 2003-09-21 11:53:01

Byron: "I'm actually a big fan of evolving linguistics...languages change over time, as they should. Like for instance, the extremely misleading word "inflammable" which once meant what "flammable" means today. It just didn't make any sense to have a misleading word as dangerous as that...lol...can you imagine gasoline trucks labeled "inflammable" instead of "flammable?"

*Good point. Reminds me, in a way, of a former acquaintance years ago at college -- a guy from China named Soong, who was a professional reporter and had come to study in America. He saw an advertisement in the newspaper regarding a huge sale in a local department store. He went to the store and was mystified to see a sign which read: "Everything Not On Sale." This absolutely confused him; he went to the clerk and inquired why the sale had been "canceled"! She explained to him that it meant SOME items were on sale, not ALL items.

Byron: "I take pride in doing whatever I can to spur on these linguistic changes, such as making up words and trying to get other people to use them, like saying "cold wave" instead of "cold snap" (I've always hated that stupid term..lol.)"

*Aw, I like "cold snap" -- it's quaint. It's heat waves and cold snaps, Byron!!

--Cindy :laugh:

Shaun Barrett · 2003-09-21 19:28:37

Thanks, guys, for this interesting 'word origin' diversion!

Don't misunderstand me if I sound as though I believe in some kind of righteous correctness of the British way of spelling. In fact, I'm well aware that languages and spellings have always been malleable and have changed in arbitrary ways and for the most obscure reasons.
I do agree that much of the British spelling is really quite quaint in some respects and, having always liked to imagine I have a scientific streak in me somewhere, I appreciate America's (and Byron's! ) attempts to simplify and rationalise the language.
No doubt the process of change will continue and, over the centuries, English will evolve into something that we today would find difficult to understand. By then, the little differences we debate today will seem relatively trivial I suppose.

SpiderMan and Pat, I stand before you embarrassed and chastened. I have indeed confused the 'estset' with the ornate 's' discussed above. My apologies!
The only excuse I can muster is the 32 year interval since my last German examination ... and maybe the brain damage inflicted by Mr. Billington!
I generally pride myself on going to considerable lengths in trying to avoid careless errors like that. It makes it all the more frustrating when I do make a stupid mistake!
But thanks, SpiderMan, for setting me straight. I stand corrected.

alokmohan · 2003-09-22 06:10:04

English is not my language as I stay in India.But American spellings are simple.When I write this spelling,teacer gave me zero.Dillemma(not sure about spelling)

Palomar · 2003-10-09 06:49:01

Sleep Like An Astronaut!

*You want it: They got it.

Pleasant dreams are not guaranteed and you can't get your money refunded if you have nightmares.

So don't even ask.

--Cindy :;):

New Mars Forums

Announcement

#26 2003-09-21 09:41:49

Re: Sleeping Positions - ...what does yours say about you?

#27 2003-09-21 11:53:01

Re: Sleeping Positions - ...what does yours say about you?

#28 2003-09-21 19:28:37

Re: Sleeping Positions - ...what does yours say about you?

#29 2003-09-22 06:10:04

Re: Sleeping Positions - ...what does yours say about you?

#30 2003-10-09 06:49:01

Re: Sleeping Positions - ...what does yours say about you?

Board footer