Date: Sat, 11 Apr 1998 14:30:46 +1000 From: David Dawes <dawes@rf900.physics.usyd.edu.au> To: John Fieber <jfieber@indiana.edu> Cc: current@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Misspelling in lib/libutil/login_cap.3 [w/ patch] Message-ID: <19980411143046.35436@rf900.physics.usyd.edu.au> In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.3.96.980410230946.14017G-100000@fallout.campusview.indiana.edu>; from John Fieber on Fri, Apr 10, 1998 at 11:12:23PM -0500 References: <199804102256.IAA07810@cimlogic.com.au> <Pine.BSF.3.96.980410230946.14017G-100000@fallout.campusview.indiana.edu>
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On Fri, Apr 10, 1998 at 11:12:23PM -0500, John Fieber wrote:
>On Sat, 11 Apr 1998, John Birrell wrote:
>
>> Chad M. Fraleigh wrote:
>> >
>> > "authorisation" should be "authorization".
>>
>> In my _*English*_ dictionary, either is acceptable.
>
>Citation please?
>
>Not found in the Oxford English Dictionary (2nd ed), nor any of
>the American dictionaries I have on hand (American Heritage,
>Webster).
I have a copy of "The Concise Oxford Dictionary", 6th ed (1976). It
shows both forms, with the "z" version preferred.
Also, "The Macquarie Dictionary", 1st ed, revised (1985), which is
considered by many to be the reference for English as used in Australia
shows both with the "s" version preferred.
>It may be acceptable somewhere, but I dare say that the "z"
>version is much more widely accepted.
I tend to agree. I used to think that the "s" version was the real
"English" form (consistent with traditional Unix 'spell -b'), but some
time ago an Englishman who was somewhat pedantic about such things
pointed out that this wasn't the case (referencing the Oxford English
Dictionary). I've come to the conclusion that the "s" form is more
common in Australian English than elsewhere, and it happens to be the
form I use too.
BTW, here's an excerpt from the spell(1) man page on Solaris 2.5:
-b Check British spelling. Besides preferring
"centre," "colour," "programme," "speciality,"
"travelled," and so forth, this option insists
upon -ise in words like "standardise."
and in the BUGS section:
British spelling was done by an American.
:-)
David
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