This tag is for questions concerning the written representation of the English language, especially spelling and word breaks (including hyphenation).
6
votes
1answer
103 views
Why is there an “h” in “pulchritude”?
I'd assumed that pulchritude was derived from Greek, because of the "ch" but it turns out to be from Latin pulcher. I've been taught that "c" always has a hard pronunciation in Latin, so why would ...
2
votes
5answers
222 views
Is there a name for spelling differences in words like _grey/gray_, _color/colour_, etc.?
Is there a categorical name for differences in the spelling of a word when the word keeps the same meaning and the same sound?
0
votes
2answers
565 views
Does the word “Vaccum” exist?
If yes, does it have the same meaning of vacuum?
Ref:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum
http://www.vaccum.org/
Both the sites define the same meaning, but the spelling differs.
Some ...
0
votes
1answer
318 views
Difference between “zeros” and “zeroes” [duplicate]
Are there any differences between “zeros” and “zeroes”? Is any of them more correct, more often used, more modern? Are there differences e.g. between British English and American English in the usage ...
6
votes
3answers
849 views
“Smooths” versus “Smoothes”
I am interested in the rapid rise (since about 1993) in frequency of the spelling smoothes as against smooths.
An Ngram Viewer graph tracking the frequency of usage of the two words from 1800 to ...
4
votes
2answers
212 views
Alphabetizing List of Mixed Words and Acronyms
I am creating a glossary that includes both acronyms and multi-word definitions, and I'm wondering if there is a standard/most-appropriate way to sort them.
I have tried to search for ...
0
votes
2answers
152 views
Has the contraction “you’re” finally been replaced by “your”?
Your is almost universally used these days for you’re (“you are”). Is the misuse of your a result of ignorance, or is the contraction now formally dead?
0
votes
2answers
54 views
“Multi-column” or “multicolumn”? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
To hyphenate or not?
Which is the proper one? I mainly use this term in computer terminology, like "grid multicolumn sorting".
0
votes
1answer
95 views
Alternate spellings and modern usage
There are accepted alternate spellings for English words and phrases, example: pajamas -> pyjamas.
This is an assumption, so please correct me if I'm wrong:
The editors of the OED and other ...
43
votes
4answers
5k views
Why are there so few English words that begin with the letter X?
If one reads a lot of children's books, it is obvious that X is a real thorn in the side for those authors looking to have each letter of the alphabet represented in their books. Most of them either ...
1
vote
2answers
176 views
Should the abbreviation for “identifier” be capitalized?
I'm a programmer and I often see the abbreviation ID (capitalized) in technical documents and code. Is this correct, or should it be id?
1
vote
3answers
127 views
“Hostname” or “host name”?
When we are talking about computers, I see both hostname and host name being used. Which is more proper? Should I put the space in there?
2
votes
5answers
412 views
Can we call something a “word” if it doesn't have a vowel? [closed]
It seems self-evident to me, but in the heat of a Scrabble game (no surprise), my opponent claimed that "sh" was a word. I think it's a diphthong, but the printed dictionary definition of "word" ...
0
votes
2answers
131 views
Why is “writing” spelled with only one T? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is there any rhyme or reason to when one should double the last consonant when adding -ed or -ing?
It has always been a word that intuitively I wish to spell with two ...
0
votes
0answers
96 views
Why are apostrophes so important? [closed]
Why are apostrophes so important? Where did they come from? Wouldn't it be better to just get rid of them altogether?
11
votes
3answers
541 views
From French “manœuvre” to English “manoeuvre”, does “œ” exist in English?
Sadly, I don’t have much to add from the title to this question: does œ exist in English, such as in the word manœuvre?
The same question may also apply to what the French call the “e dans l’a” (e in ...
3
votes
1answer
148 views
Is subcopy a word?
A copywriter just sent me over a copy deck that had the word subcopy to describe the text immediately after the page title. Up until now I had been referring to it as a description.
example:
>
...
0
votes
1answer
240 views
“Leader board” vs. “leaderboard”
Is there a preferred spelling for the word "leaderboard"? Should it be one word or two? It would seem that both are correct, but is either preferred?
6
votes
2answers
333 views
Why do American and British English use different quotation marks?
American English uses double-quotes, while British English uses single-quotes:
"This is a quote."
'This is a quote.'
Why do we use different quotation marks? When did this difference ...
4
votes
2answers
99 views
What did James V mean by “afferandly”?
In this letter from 1536, King James V of Scotland wrote in 1536:
Veilbelouit frend, we grete yow. Forsamekill as we ar of pourpas
to pas to Kelso, and to vesy owr Bordouris for ordoneng of ...
1
vote
3answers
105 views
How should I refer to a “screen comp”?
I always get a word spelling error when I type my emails regarding screen comps. Screen comps, if you don't know, are a visual representation of a web design or the like. Does anybody know how to ...
4
votes
2answers
282 views
What do you call words that are typed the same way on a phone keypad?
Words that are pronounced the same are homophones.
Words that are spelled the same are homonyms.
What do you call words that are typed the same way on a telephone keypad? (you have to watch out for ...
-1
votes
1answer
50 views
3
votes
2answers
154 views
Why are I and O always capitalized, but a is not?
There are three single-letter words. They are the article a, the pronoun I, and the interjection O.
The pronoun I and the interjection O are always capitalized, but the article a follows normal ...
1
vote
1answer
113 views
For the verb 'focus' why is the gerund form 'focusing' with a single S, instead of 'focussing' with a double S? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“Focussed” or “focused”? The double consonant
The rule that I learned was that when you have a short vowel in the last syllable, you double the last consonant before ...
10
votes
3answers
316 views
Where did the practice of using apostrophes for possessive nouns but not pronouns originate?
Where did the practice of using apostrophes for possessive nouns but not pronouns originate?
For example, possessive nouns (both proper and common) are written with a apostrophe before the final s:
...
22
votes
3answers
717 views
Words with a leading silent w
My eldest is a beginning reader. Yesterday we read one of my favorite books, The Wreck of the Zephyr. He pointed at wreck and asked me why that one looked like it said "wuh-reck." I explained that ...
4
votes
0answers
51 views
Why do you write “receive” with “ei” but “retrieve” with “ie”? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Why is it true that “I before E, except after C”?
Both words are similar in pronounciation but different in spelling. How come that "receive" is written with "ei" but ...
1
vote
1answer
273 views
Spelling or grammar error? [closed]
If a person uses the wrong form of your or you're, would that be considered a spelling or grammatical error? I can really see it swinging both ways...
A sentence with the incorrect use of the word is ...
0
votes
1answer
188 views
/u/ and /uː/ in pronunciation
What is the regularity of appearance of /uː/ and /u/ (or /ʊ/ in RP)? How can I be most sure deducing from spelling alone, that, say, "ooze" is pronounced /uːz/ and "wool" as /wul/? I know that English ...
5
votes
1answer
197 views
What do the letters ï and ô mean? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the distinction between “role” and “rôle” [with a circumflex]?
What is the significance of the “ô” character in “rôle” in this work?
What is the standard rule ...
7
votes
4answers
4k views
Syllable division of VCV pattern in words such as “salad” and “lemon”
In words such as salad /sæləd/, you have a VCV pattern (vowel-consonant-vowel), in which the first vowel is short. The syllable division of such words is generally done after the consonant, i.e, as ...
0
votes
1answer
202 views
Why is “delight” spelt and pronounced the way it is?
This as everything probably has something to do with the GVS, but how?
-1
votes
1answer
155 views
Are there regional distinctions in how hiccup/hiccough is spelled?
So I was a student of English was taught English right on the border between the US and Canada. My husband (who is from the Southwestern states) was reading something I wrote where I used the ...
14
votes
3answers
3k views
“Thru” vs. “through”
Could anyone explain the differences between "thru" and "through"?
Is the difference only in spelling?
Is "thru" some sort of slang?
8
votes
2answers
226 views
Pedlar vs. peddler
The etymonline entry for peddler reads:
late 14c. (c.1300 as a surname, Will. Le Pedelare), from peoddere, peddere (c.1200, mid-12c. as a surname), of unknown origin. It has the appearance of an ...
4
votes
2answers
218 views
Is “sound approach” an accepted phrase?
English is not my first language, and in my language (Bosnian) we write just as we speak ; so from time to time, I encounter phrases which I know I have heard before, but am not sure if I am writing ...
2
votes
3answers
233 views
Is it “thousands of postmen and women” or “thousands of postmen and -women”?
Is it "thousands of postmen and women" or "thousands of postmen and -women"? Is the use of a hyphen correct in the latter case?
3
votes
2answers
188 views
What is the origin of the different pronunciations of C and G before different vowels?
In English the letters C and G usually have different pronunciation before a/o/u and before e/i. The same is true for Romance languages - French, Spanish, Catalan, Italian etc.
What is the origin of ...
7
votes
2answers
155 views
Term for written paralanguage?
Is there a term for words filling in for body language (*sigh*) and/or for typography being used to express tone or intonation (THIS IS SHOUTING)?
2
votes
1answer
396 views
When adding prefixes to noun phrases, should you hyphenate? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When is it necessary to use a hyphen in writing a compound word?
Using “non-” to prefix a two-word phrase
When adding a prefix to a noun, I've been taught to usually ...
1
vote
1answer
413 views
Sidenote, side-note, Side Note or Side note [closed]
So I've thought of a name for something, but cannot decide on how I should write it. In School, I vaguely remember someone saying "when you want to say something as one word, when it's really two ...
2
votes
1answer
317 views
What is the correct spelling and definition of a word (sp.) “enditement” [closed]
Whilst watching The Big Bang Theory (S04E11, ~06:45 in, where Howard and Stuart are talking in the Comic Book Store about Zack), I heard the following exchange:
— Is that sarcasm?
— No, it's an ...
2
votes
1answer
290 views
Why does the letter “a” correspond to /ɪ/ in words like “image”, “private” and “surface” (American English)?
In American English, in words ending with -age, -ate and -ace, the ‹a› correspond to /ɪ/ (short i). Examples: image, village, damageprivate, senate, separatesurface, preface, palace
(It should be ...
0
votes
1answer
80 views
Difference between “fallback” and “fall back”? [closed]
I am struggling to understand when to use fallback and when fall back (with a space).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallback
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_back_and_forward
Basically I have to ...
2
votes
2answers
422 views
Why there is an “h” in proper names like Afghanistan, Baghdad and Lamborghini?
An "h" may be used to prevent the "g" from being soft, as in spaghetti, but there is no need for an "h" in the mentioned proper names.
1
vote
2answers
163 views
In British English, do you favorite or favourite a post? [closed]
When using "favorite" in a computer technology sense (for example, bookmarking a question on Stack Overflow), do British English speakers still use "favourite" (the traditional spelling in British ...
9
votes
3answers
250 views
When quoting speakers of another English dialect than your own, should you spell things their way?
I realize (or realise?) I may be splitting hairs here, but I find this question interesting, and I’ve never heard or seen it discussed before.
I was about to post a quote from Rich Hickey outside my ...
2
votes
1answer
257 views
Did English use to have capitalization rules similar to German's current rules? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Capitalisation of nouns in English in the 17th and 18th centuries
I was looking up an article of the constitution of the United States of America, and I noticed in the ...
1
vote
3answers
113 views
1D vs. one-dimensional vs. 1-dimensional?
In much of the scientific literature, the words 1D, one-dimensional, 1-dimensional, and 1-D occur frequently. Which of these is the best practice? Are there general principles for deciding which is ...
