One of my pommie pals asked about the -ize and -ise rule. The broad rule is that the -ize forms are standard in the US, but that -ise ones are now usual in Britain and the Commonwealth in all but formal writing. For example, all British newspapers use the -ise forms; so do most magazines and most non-academic books published in the UK. However, some British publishers insist on the -ize forms (Oxford University Press especially), as do many academic journals and a few other publications. Most British dictionaries quote both forms, but—despite common usage—put the -ize form first.
But before we discard the -ise completely, there are some words that are always spelled in -ise, yes - even in US! advertise, advise, apprise, chastise, circumcise, comprise, compromise, demise, despise, devise, disfranchise, enfranchise, enterprise, excise, exercise, improvise, incise, premise, revise, supervise, surmise, surprise, televise.
Analyse that!
And on the topic of color.... the sitiation is best summari*ed by H.L. Mencken thus..
Insistent as our transatlantic cousins are on writing arbour, armour, clamour, clangour, colour, dolour, flavour, honour, humour, labour, odour, rancour, rigour, savour, valour, vapour and vigour, and “most unpleasant” as they find the omission of the excrescent u in any of these words, they nevertheless make no scruple of writing the derivatives in the American way—arboreal, armory, clamorous, clangorous, colorific, dolorous, flavorous, honorary, humorous, laborious, odorous, rancorous, rigorous, savory, valorous, vaporize and vigorous—not inserting the u in the second syllable of any one of these words. The British practice is, in short and to speak plainly, a jumble of confusion, without rhyme or reason, logic or consistency; and if anybody finds the American simplification of the whole matter “unpleasant,” it can be only because he is a victim of unreasoning prejudice against which no argument can avail.
more - visit The Two Orthographies at http://www.bartleby.com/185/31.html
God Bless Americanization of language
Tuesday, February 03, 2004
The time has come to set the Aluminium record straight... The metal with 13 electrons and atomic weight of 26.981538 is known around the world as Aluminium (except a few remote corners of the globe who refer to it as Aluminio or Aluminum). Why, you may ask, is the US one of those who use Aluminum... let's look at the history.
Sir Humphry Davy named the element from the mineral called alumina, based on the French word alum (potassum aluminum sulfate (sic)). Sir Humphry flapped around naming this new element, at first spelling it alumium (1807) then alumumium, then aluminum, and finally aluminium in 1812 (he had a dreadful stutter which made matter much worse).
In the USA the standard spelling was aluminium and this is the only form given in Noah Webster’s Dictionary of 1828, and the Webster Unabridged Dictionary of 1913. However, there is evidence that the spelling without the final i was used in various trades and professions in the US from the 1830s onwards and that, due to the appalling education provided and the big immigration, by the 1870s there were few Americans who could spell any word correctly (including their family name) - let alone Aluminium.
The Americian Chemical Society decided they could no longer afford to keep arguing about the name, and therefore, in 1925 a ballot was taken - the choices were Alumium (rep), Aluminimum (dem) and Aluminum (lib). The decision was Alumium but a careless typesetter added an upside down U and you know the rest...
God Bless Aluminium
Sir Humphry Davy named the element from the mineral called alumina, based on the French word alum (potassum aluminum sulfate (sic)). Sir Humphry flapped around naming this new element, at first spelling it alumium (1807) then alumumium, then aluminum, and finally aluminium in 1812 (he had a dreadful stutter which made matter much worse).
In the USA the standard spelling was aluminium and this is the only form given in Noah Webster’s Dictionary of 1828, and the Webster Unabridged Dictionary of 1913. However, there is evidence that the spelling without the final i was used in various trades and professions in the US from the 1830s onwards and that, due to the appalling education provided and the big immigration, by the 1870s there were few Americans who could spell any word correctly (including their family name) - let alone Aluminium.
The Americian Chemical Society decided they could no longer afford to keep arguing about the name, and therefore, in 1925 a ballot was taken - the choices were Alumium (rep), Aluminimum (dem) and Aluminum (lib). The decision was Alumium but a careless typesetter added an upside down U and you know the rest...
God Bless Aluminium
So, instead of watching some rugby, a small group of Brits stayed up last night to watch the Boston RedSox play baseball - it was a shame that they lost, had we known, we would have watched something else on telly.
We were trying to remember this whole "Babe Ruth" thing but we are not sure who cursed who and why, and whether other people effect curses when they move from Boston to NY - and do they get undone when they move back?
Anyway, for you philistine Brits out there - the RedSox have not won the US Cup (World Series) for a long time - (I have a bumper sticker to prove it - it says "world champs 1918"). You may ask why they call it the World Series when it is a battle between the 'American' world and the 'National' world and it is only open to US teams - it would be like the soccer world cup being only open to Italy, Germany, Brazil and England. Hey, if we let the US play soccer, they should let us play rounders! And why aren't there any women on your teams - oh yes, they play 'softball'. Maybe the RedSox would have better luck if they played with a bigger ball!
So, back to the game, there was not much action but lots of people trying to kill eachother with nasty looks, and lots of ear, nose, knee and glove touching (apparently it is like semaphore to communicate between dugouts about coordinated spitting). Boston was ahead with a few innings of fierce staring and the Yankee's pitcher had to blink so many times, he left the game for good - a real sulk and he didn't even wave to the crowd?. But then, with a super bit of skipping and clapping around the bases, NY earned the 3 points and after full time the game was a tie. "Could it get any more exciting" the commentaor asked - well, I was hoping for a close up of the burst water main in Washington Heights but then again... - and the commercials were too short....
Into extra time and they do this sudden death thing, tie breaker, first goal wins (but you have to give the home team another go). Anyway, finally, one of the players hit the ball and the game was over. It must be difficult to hit those balls with such tight pants on, it is not surprising they have to give them a few goes to hit it. And those helmets are so dirty, you would thing the brand people would have a fit. They do wash those lucky uniforms don't they?
And why don't the Americans like tied games, where they could celebrate the sport and the game and say - "that was a good game"... maybe then there would be less parental murders at the ice hockey rink, less 'in the hole' shouting at the USPGA open, less 'Most Valued Player' and more team work. The great american dream - "Win or invade". Just be glad North Korea don't have better teams.
My favorite quote was that the Redsox were destined to face the Chicago Cubs - a perfect match of two teams neither of whom will win the world series (or any other series) until hell freezes over. A perfect match of hapless wits... maybe they should organise a friendly and play softball.
God Bless the Red Sox
We were trying to remember this whole "Babe Ruth" thing but we are not sure who cursed who and why, and whether other people effect curses when they move from Boston to NY - and do they get undone when they move back?
Anyway, for you philistine Brits out there - the RedSox have not won the US Cup (World Series) for a long time - (I have a bumper sticker to prove it - it says "world champs 1918"). You may ask why they call it the World Series when it is a battle between the 'American' world and the 'National' world and it is only open to US teams - it would be like the soccer world cup being only open to Italy, Germany, Brazil and England. Hey, if we let the US play soccer, they should let us play rounders! And why aren't there any women on your teams - oh yes, they play 'softball'. Maybe the RedSox would have better luck if they played with a bigger ball!
So, back to the game, there was not much action but lots of people trying to kill eachother with nasty looks, and lots of ear, nose, knee and glove touching (apparently it is like semaphore to communicate between dugouts about coordinated spitting). Boston was ahead with a few innings of fierce staring and the Yankee's pitcher had to blink so many times, he left the game for good - a real sulk and he didn't even wave to the crowd?. But then, with a super bit of skipping and clapping around the bases, NY earned the 3 points and after full time the game was a tie. "Could it get any more exciting" the commentaor asked - well, I was hoping for a close up of the burst water main in Washington Heights but then again... - and the commercials were too short....
Into extra time and they do this sudden death thing, tie breaker, first goal wins (but you have to give the home team another go). Anyway, finally, one of the players hit the ball and the game was over. It must be difficult to hit those balls with such tight pants on, it is not surprising they have to give them a few goes to hit it. And those helmets are so dirty, you would thing the brand people would have a fit. They do wash those lucky uniforms don't they?
And why don't the Americans like tied games, where they could celebrate the sport and the game and say - "that was a good game"... maybe then there would be less parental murders at the ice hockey rink, less 'in the hole' shouting at the USPGA open, less 'Most Valued Player' and more team work. The great american dream - "Win or invade". Just be glad North Korea don't have better teams.
My favorite quote was that the Redsox were destined to face the Chicago Cubs - a perfect match of two teams neither of whom will win the world series (or any other series) until hell freezes over. A perfect match of hapless wits... maybe they should organise a friendly and play softball.
God Bless the Red Sox
Someone used the word umpteen and meant in the teens...
Umpteen is not necessarily less than 20, if it were, then one could argue that it be more or less than 19, or more or less than 18 and so on...
All we can say of umpteen is that it is a complex number >2j, but necessarily neither real, integer nor positive. It is generally thought that it was coined by folk who could not count past 10 (or however many fingers they had). Rumour has it that the maximum number of children that one couple can have is umpteen, since by then you can never actually count them since they are moving so much and all look so similar (try counting ants or Irish children). It is sometimes thought that umpteen was the foundation for Heisenberg's indeterminate principle for electron speed versus location and is coined in one of his famous, if uncertain, quotes. "I don't care if Schrodinger had umpteen %!*? cats in his box...".
Some religious folk believe that "’Umpteen’" is truly a gospel word,". "A word of grace. It conveys the love of a parent who does not bother to keep an EXACT count of my failings and inadequacies. It would have really bothered me to hear my mother say, "I’ve told you 4 times to do that." She’s counting? "Umpteen" times leaves a little room for grace to operate." ..... They go on to say that God works in base Umpteen - quite profound (except that there can not then be 10 commandments!). It is also handy when counting paedophile priests.
There is also rumour that its derivation is the same as Umpire - meaning someone blameless (nomper - no peer) who makes mistakes that are uncountable (or it would force the MLB to show umpire's stats for bad calls!) "this umpire has a 78% accuracy for home teams, 85% for visitors, 92% for left handers......"
The first use of the word is to be found in Westminster abbey records of Thomas Beckett "...and the rounde table was thus sized to hoste umpteen knights..", mimicing Mary and Jesus' notes left at Rennes Le Chateau on the last supper, "...there was room even for Thomas, the umpteenth apostle..". http://www.renneslechateau.com/
Umpteen is not necessarily less than 20, if it were, then one could argue that it be more or less than 19, or more or less than 18 and so on...
All we can say of umpteen is that it is a complex number >2j, but necessarily neither real, integer nor positive. It is generally thought that it was coined by folk who could not count past 10 (or however many fingers they had). Rumour has it that the maximum number of children that one couple can have is umpteen, since by then you can never actually count them since they are moving so much and all look so similar (try counting ants or Irish children). It is sometimes thought that umpteen was the foundation for Heisenberg's indeterminate principle for electron speed versus location and is coined in one of his famous, if uncertain, quotes. "I don't care if Schrodinger had umpteen %!*? cats in his box...".
Some religious folk believe that "’Umpteen’" is truly a gospel word,". "A word of grace. It conveys the love of a parent who does not bother to keep an EXACT count of my failings and inadequacies. It would have really bothered me to hear my mother say, "I’ve told you 4 times to do that." She’s counting? "Umpteen" times leaves a little room for grace to operate." ..... They go on to say that God works in base Umpteen - quite profound (except that there can not then be 10 commandments!). It is also handy when counting paedophile priests.
There is also rumour that its derivation is the same as Umpire - meaning someone blameless (nomper - no peer) who makes mistakes that are uncountable (or it would force the MLB to show umpire's stats for bad calls!) "this umpire has a 78% accuracy for home teams, 85% for visitors, 92% for left handers......"
The first use of the word is to be found in Westminster abbey records of Thomas Beckett "...and the rounde table was thus sized to hoste umpteen knights..", mimicing Mary and Jesus' notes left at Rennes Le Chateau on the last supper, "...there was room even for Thomas, the umpteenth apostle..". http://www.renneslechateau.com/
The Rugby World Cup - while watching the final in one of the hallowed enclaves of Welsh golf, the topic of the day (aside from the usual ramblings about points for penalties and drop goals) was - are football boots legal in Rugby?
According to Dia Hughes (who plays off 6 at Abergele GC), playing with footy boots is illegal and causes the kind of fat lip injuries sustained by the bleeding aussies this weekend (one of the local golfers wanted to demonstate that almost any shoe could cause that injury). Perhaps "as tough as old boots" is not the phrase - perhaps "as sharp as new predators" would be more like it (Well yes, His boots are in fact Adidas Predator Mania footy boots - size UK 9, US 10, AU 14). Perhaps the Welsh football team should have entered?
And talking of injuries, the Welsh were quick to point out that blood on the field is never allowed, but that appeared to be ignored for the cut on the England Captain - but then, how could the ref see around that great hooker (nose). The ref... I just wish he had been Welsh, what kind of ref would grant a penalty for the slight breach of scrum etiquette in the final seconds of full time? A Welsh one! And what did England do? punch? - no, kick? no, one of our men dropped his right ear at the "engage". Come on ref, he is hard of hearing - he was only trying to hear you shouting 'get closer'. By the way, did anyone retrieve the offending ear, or is there a patch of little England in that antipodean corner of the globe.
And so, fumbles, knocks, anguish - but evenually the local golfers replenished my beer and I could once again focus on the game. The game could have been planned by a Hollywood producer - or is Rugby just like professional wrestling - just a stage show to get the crowd going. It certainly seemed that way when He went down from a 'firm tackle' His ulna clearly shattered in a compound fracture. But no, He pulled it straight, the medic held His arm aloft and poooooof - good as new. And that reminds me, the adjectives those comentators use are very misleading - like describing Saddam as 'quite naughty', or Michael Jackson as 'interesting', or MWD as 'nasty'. let's all be glad that Hollywood does not produce the event - words like crushing, smashing, kerrrbamm, would be sooooo overused!
Maybe that is why He prays before every penalty, praying to the great god of rugby that the US will never discover the sport - oh please no, the very thought makes me shudder. And what would they call it??? let's hope they don't call it 'Football' again. Perhaps they would call it 'handball'.
And so to the kick that stitched up the match - a rather good "half volley" (the correct football term) that, in true Beckham style, went over the bar for a goal kick. David Beckham wears also Predators and has a holiday home in North Wales. [moved from another blog].
God Bless Football boots
According to Dia Hughes (who plays off 6 at Abergele GC), playing with footy boots is illegal and causes the kind of fat lip injuries sustained by the bleeding aussies this weekend (one of the local golfers wanted to demonstate that almost any shoe could cause that injury). Perhaps "as tough as old boots" is not the phrase - perhaps "as sharp as new predators" would be more like it (Well yes, His boots are in fact Adidas Predator Mania footy boots - size UK 9, US 10, AU 14). Perhaps the Welsh football team should have entered?
And talking of injuries, the Welsh were quick to point out that blood on the field is never allowed, but that appeared to be ignored for the cut on the England Captain - but then, how could the ref see around that great hooker (nose). The ref... I just wish he had been Welsh, what kind of ref would grant a penalty for the slight breach of scrum etiquette in the final seconds of full time? A Welsh one! And what did England do? punch? - no, kick? no, one of our men dropped his right ear at the "engage". Come on ref, he is hard of hearing - he was only trying to hear you shouting 'get closer'. By the way, did anyone retrieve the offending ear, or is there a patch of little England in that antipodean corner of the globe.
And so, fumbles, knocks, anguish - but evenually the local golfers replenished my beer and I could once again focus on the game. The game could have been planned by a Hollywood producer - or is Rugby just like professional wrestling - just a stage show to get the crowd going. It certainly seemed that way when He went down from a 'firm tackle' His ulna clearly shattered in a compound fracture. But no, He pulled it straight, the medic held His arm aloft and poooooof - good as new. And that reminds me, the adjectives those comentators use are very misleading - like describing Saddam as 'quite naughty', or Michael Jackson as 'interesting', or MWD as 'nasty'. let's all be glad that Hollywood does not produce the event - words like crushing, smashing, kerrrbamm, would be sooooo overused!
Maybe that is why He prays before every penalty, praying to the great god of rugby that the US will never discover the sport - oh please no, the very thought makes me shudder. And what would they call it??? let's hope they don't call it 'Football' again. Perhaps they would call it 'handball'.
And so to the kick that stitched up the match - a rather good "half volley" (the correct football term) that, in true Beckham style, went over the bar for a goal kick. David Beckham wears also Predators and has a holiday home in North Wales. [moved from another blog].
God Bless Football boots
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