Date: Sat, 2 Dec 2000 00:24:44 -0500 From: "Erik Rothwell" <erothwell@callgtn.com> To: <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org> Subject: Re: Pronunciations Message-ID: <200012020024.AA76284136@wdc.callgtn.com>
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What a lot of Americans seem to miss is that American English is a minority language compared to the vast wealth of nations and peoples who speak proper Standard English (what Americans like to call British English.) Colour, valour, labour are the Standard spellings... similarly, Standard English drops its final -rs and such. When you learn to speak English anywhere but America or Canada, you learn with Standard English pronunciation. Crazily enough, Standard English has many more vowels than American English... I believe it's 26 or 28 to just 12. Furthermore, the -ise / -ize difference comes from word origin: if the word origin is Latin you use -ise, if it is Greek you use -ize. Food for thought ;-) ------- E. L. Rothwell xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxx ------- ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- From: Mark Ovens <marko@freebsd.org> Date: Sat, 2 Dec 2000 03:57:48 +0000 >On Thu, Nov 30, 2000 at 02:19:22PM -0500, Passki, Jonathan P wrote: >> Yes, us lazy Americans hate that 'ou' thing the Brits try to always >> interject, like 'colour' and 'valour.' > >I think that originates from the French where such words end ~eur. Of >course it was Noah Webster who dropped the 'u'. > >> Also, why can't the Brits us an >> occasional 'z' in their words; initialize, serialize, and other words like >> them just look cool w/ the 'z' in them, not that 's' substitution the Brits >> use. >> > >Curiously, this is the one group of words that Americans spell correctly >and we get wrong. If you look in older editions of the OED you will find >such words spelled exclusively ~ize. Only in more recent editions (<10 >years) will ~ise appear and then only as an *alternative* spelling. I have >great fun at work when writing docs where I always use ~ize and, >invariably, the reviewer pulls me up on it so I pull out a dictionary (and >slap him 'round the back of the head with it).... > >> Here's another good one, though: /etc >> > >FWIW, slash ee tee cee > >> Some people pronounce it like its root word, etcetera, which is >> grammatically correct, since etcetera is abbreviated like "etc." Others say >> it like "et-sEE." What's the better one? >> >> > -----Original Message----- >> > From: Peter Lai [mailto:PeterL@resnet.uconn.edu] >> > Sent: Thursday, November 30, 2000 12:31 >> > To: 'David Talkington '; 'freebsd-questions@freebsd.org ' >> > Subject: RE: Pronunciations >> > >> > >> > well, if you want to do a linguistical analysis on it: >> > >> > /lib is where you find "libs" (the i is short, ryhmes with >> > "fibs"). However >> > "libs" is derived from "lIbraries", which rhymes with "vIbe". >> > since "/lib" is a descendant of "libs" which is an altered >> > descendent of >> > "lIbraries" you should be able to pronounce "libs" with the short i. >> > i mean, you would prononounce "GTK-libs" as ryhming with "fibs" so why >> > wouldn't you do the same with "slash-lib". >> > >> > /bin is the place where you find "bInaries". but then you can >> > say it's the >> > "bin where you find programs". refer to eric s. raymond's >> > hackers jargon >> > dictionary. So linguistically it would make sense for you to pronounce >> > "/bIn" with the long vowel. But, americans are `lazy' and it >> > takes less >> > energy to say the short vowel. >> > >> > i mean, "missiles" can be pronounced "missels" or "missILes", >> > the former >> > being the american prounouciation and the latter, the british method. >> > >> > more questions: how the heck do you pronounce "/src"? >> > -----Original Message----- >> > >> > To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org >> > Sent: 11/30/2000 12:47 PM >> > Subject: Pronunciations >> > >> > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- >> > >> > >> > Salutations. >> > >> > There is disagreement on these points among even knowledgeable people >> > in my office. I'll cast it to the list and let the chips fall where >> > they may. (There's no money on it.) >> > >> > /lib rhymes with "fib" or "vibe"? >> > /bin rhymes with "sin" or "whine"? >> > peeco or pyco? >> > >> > I don't have to argue about GNU or Linux, because there are FAQs to >> > back me up. On the above, however, I can find no controlling >> > authority. Please guide us on our path to righteousness. >> > >> > Cheers! -d >> > >> > - -- >> > David Talkington >> > Community Networking Initiative >> > dtalk@prairienet.org >> > 217-244-1962 >> > >> > PGP key: http://www.prairienet.org/~dtalk/dt000823.asc >> > >> > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- >> > Version: PGP 6.5.8 >> > Comment: Made with pgp4pine 1.75-6 >> > >> > iQEVAwUBOiaSo71ZYOtSwT+tAQF1XQf/T6cIFBNe9FDwc3GH1BcL0h7vir9ddVYQ >> > 18JmEFOW0UiUctgVsipysposcOBM4J71cUzyoHFt5NOtE8fRwCv8LWoZh/b7Vqmk >> > y0/NIWSgarAKFNljCdwxLYj9qK0UIxq5e/1yeyFTwy/qh9AFIH1/8FNFCMK8xIte >> > k8EPaad4vayLbc4haBlpwd+h4kih1njNHvMISR4j1fCydr2PK5NIvINj6svK/ltl >> > Pc2nQ6/TUo01AbslIjIszW8n1zRsDpBaAnQwIT2WVUOly49StI5jty4FMk8WwRVW >> > bscKg2+Ahoc3+3W0OiRXSaAvHRUeut4zHTuoiF8V3rvMUx93RBdTcQ== >> > =CWDY >> > -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org >> > with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message >> > >> > >> > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org >> > with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message >> > >> ***************************************************************************** >> The information in this email is confidential and may be legally privileged. >> It is intended solely for the addressee. 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