Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Definitely not definate or defanate or even defanite

This is topic Definitely not definate or defanate or even defanite in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by James Robertson (Member # 888) on 12-16-2001, 07:40 PM:

I know thi is a bit off topic but this is where the curse has surfaced

O.K. I give in . I've been biting my tongue for tooooooo long. I've reached screaming point

I know we're technicians not linguists but
Definite is spelled DEFINITE. Definitely is spelled DEFINITELY.There is no A anywhere is sight. Sorry rant over

Jim

Posted by Rick Long (Member # 213) on 12-16-2001, 09:12 PM:

Brad, any room left for a speal chequer for the forum?

Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 12-16-2001, 09:30 PM:

Damit Jim, I'm a Doctor not a spell checker.
Bones McCoy

Posted by Paul Cassidy (Member # 951) on 12-16-2001, 11:04 PM:

BEEEM me up Spotty , its laife Jim but knot as we no it.

Posted by James Robertson (Member # 888) on 12-17-2001, 03:01 AM:

Hi Guys

I'll happily take on the job of spellchecker
I'm often overawed by the technical expertise shown on the Film Handlers forum but I often weep at the spelling and grammar and general strangulation of the English language shown within

Thanks for your pithy comments

Jim

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 12-17-2001, 03:13 AM:

While I admit that I am not a perfect master of the English language (I use parenthesis too much) I can certainly sympathize. When "definite" is misspelled I notice it quickly. There are many other words and phrases like this as well:

Correct --- Incorrect:

anyway --- anyways (plural?)
might as well --- mine as well (yours as well?)
anyhow --- anywho (I really really hate that! It's just dumb)
phiggidy --- phigiddy (even slang can be screwed up)

There are more, but I am too lazy to put forth the effort to try and remember them right now

Posted by Dick Vaughan (Member # 540) on 12-17-2001, 05:27 AM:

A spell checker would be absolutely fine as long as there were multiple options allowing for posts from members in different parts of the "ENGLISH" speaking world.

I hate programmes that are not able to support United Kingdom English as well as the strange strangulated versions used in the colonies

And before any of my fellow UK based contributors chip in,yes it should include a Yorkshire option as well!

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 12-17-2001, 05:27 AM:

There was a report on the news last night about a public demonstration against pædophiles. A number of people were seen holding up placards, none of which spelt that word correctly...

Posted by Dick Vaughan (Member # 540) on 12-17-2001, 05:31 AM:

Leo

I am more concerned about those who can't distinguish between paedophiles and paediatricians!

Sorry never could get the hang of sticking the a & e together

Posted by Joe Beres (Member # 678) on 12-17-2001, 09:23 AM:

one of my spelling pet peeves:

"I must of forgotten my wallet."

I see that all the time, how can someone even think that makes sense?!? try MUST HAVE!

Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 12-17-2001, 09:30 AM:

My wife gets bugged when people say "close proximity". Which she believes is a redundant term.

------------------
Greg Mueller
Amateur Astronomer, Machinist, Filmnut
http://www.muellersatomics.com/

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 12-17-2001, 09:45 AM:

Dick - that did actually happen! Around the time of the actual Sarah Payne murder and all the hysteria it elicited [note to non-UK readers: eight year-old child whose murderer has just been convicted, hence the issue is in the news right now] some rather thick vigilante read a story in his local paper about a paediatrician, took this to mean 'child molester' and organised a lynch mob. I seem to remember that the incident was on the verge of getting seriously violent before the police broke it up.

Oops, naughty me, 'Lynch' is an eponym and should be capitalised!

Posted by Dick Vaughan (Member # 540) on 12-17-2001, 09:53 AM:

Leo
I read that story too.

Just another reason to be thankful that we don't let the intellectually challenged have access to firearms.

Posted by John Walsh (Member # 168) on 12-17-2001, 11:17 AM:

I found out that the non-word "irregardless" really bothers a guy I don't like. So of course, I say it to him from time to time!

I think many mis-spellings actually come from spell checkers. For example, if I'm a bad speller and I type "definate" (I meant "definite") in Netscape's checker, three choices for the correct spelling apper in the check window; "definite"; "defiant"; "defiance." If the writer is in a hurry, he might select the wrong word. Since the checker does not know the context of the sentance; it passes after that. I notice the mis-use of; "to," "too," and "two."

For confusing English grammar, I still like Groucho Marx's example; "My father shot an elephant in his pajamas. How he got in my father's pajamas I'll never know."

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 12-17-2001, 05:55 PM:

sentance????

I've always been curious why they spell things in the UK like "Center" as "Centre". Cen tree? I imagine a dyslexic came up with that one. Or "realize" as "realise". Real lice?

Posted by Andy Muirhead (Member # 712) on 12-17-2001, 06:09 PM:

Another point - why is 'dyslexic' so hard to spell? I think someone was having a laugh!

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 12-18-2001, 07:06 AM:

In the WWII comedy The Goose Steps Out, Will Hay plays an English spy who is sent into Nazi Germany and ends up as a teacher in a Hitler Youth training school. This is really an excuse for a set-piece scene in which he's trying to explain to the Nazis why certain English words aren't pronounced like they're spelt, e.g. 'Thames', 'Slough' and 'Plough'. Needless to say he becomes thoroughly confused and loses the plot, and the scene finishes with Hay teaching the Nazis how to make a V-sign, explaining that is 'The English mark of respect for our glorious führer'.

As for 'centre', I guess we have William the Conqueror to thank for that one (the French have the same word, spelt the same way and with the same meaning).

The thing I find hard to understand about American English is why it often turns nouns into verbs by adding the suffix -ize, e.g. 'burglarize'. I mean, why use a word to the effect of 'perform the act normally associated with a burglar' - surely 'burgle' does the job just as well?

Posted by Dick Vaughan (Member # 540) on 12-18-2001, 07:26 AM:

Just this morning a North American colleague of mine suggested that we needed to "diarize" more. They said that this meant to make sure upcoming events were entered in to a diary.

I thought diarize was a loperamide based medication to stop the violent gastric effects of too many pints of Guinness and a very hot curry!

Posted by Dave Bird (Member # 490) on 12-18-2001, 07:50 AM:

I find many spell lose - loose. The one I hate the most is buses, it looks like FUSES to me, why don't they spell it busses?

Here in Canada, we're caught in the middle, we spell the Queen's English, but words like "burglarize" are becoming commonplace.

Just heard a study the other day, that Canadian kids have vastly improved their world ranking in spelling and grammar. Bad news is:
it is greatly declining. It seems all over the world, including the leaders in Britain and Japan, kids just aren't being expected to learn it anymore. They're abandoning the classics for more "current" literature, which frequently contains poor grammar.

Crikey Vern, if them thar Brits ain't gonna study no more, how's we
gonna learn us are spellun?

Posted by Tao Yue (Member # 836) on 12-19-2001, 01:09 PM:

Those of you who speak the Queen's English -- what's the British equivalent of "alphabetize?" A Britisher (strangely enough, this is the American English word for Briton) once said, "'alphabetize' is such an American word." The comment about the "ize" makes sense here, but I can't think of the equivalent of "burgle" for this word.

------------------
Tao Yue
MIT '04: Course VI-2, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Projectionist, MIT Lecture Series Committee

Posted by Craig Hanham (Member # 1010) on 12-19-2001, 06:48 PM:

Ahh spelling a good topic.
Aren't most of the common mistakes due to poor typing skills and the late hour of the day when logged on.Personally I find that I can hit up to 3 keys at once if I don't concentrate.
As for the difference in the spellings between American and english this is the product of Mr Samuel Johnson(? if my senility isn't playing up)and his American Dictionary of the mid 1800's as a tangible way to break from 'the imperial Yoke'.
The 'funny' spellings and gramatical rules in English are due Anglo-Saxon being Germanic, the spellings contrived by French scribes and the Grammar being set to Latin Rules by the clergy, as well as other strong influences over the millenia, no wonder its confused.

Well Linguistics lesson over. Great topic with lots of neat history.

Pet hate: "have got" looks ugly, sounds worse. Only need "have"

Wishing all a Merry Syphilis and a Happy Gonorrhea

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 12-19-2001, 10:30 PM:

Perhaps we use "burglarize" since "burgle" sounds silly. Listen to it. Doesn't it want to make you giggle? "Burglarize" sounds more menacing. I've never heard the word "Diarize". If some one said that in the US they'd get looked at strangely.

By the way, what is the purpose of a King and Queen anymore? What does she do? Isn't that Tony Blair fellow calling the shots? Can the Queen have him beheaded? People like Sean Connery have been knighted. Do they ever suit up and go into battle? That would be entertaining!

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 12-20-2001, 08:33 AM:

If only The Queen could have Tony Blair beheaded!

Mind you, I suspect there are certain members of her own family who she'd like to do first... In terms of a political function she does bugger all, though constitutionally she's above Parliament. So in theory, if there were a constitutional crisis (let's say for example that Blair decides to close down Parliament and run the country like a dictator), she could overrule the whole government and make executive decisions herself. Some extremist supporters of the monarchy argue that this is an important constitutional safeguard against the abuse of power by an elected government gone bad, but I don't think anyone seriously believes that this is ever likely to happen. In reality her function is ceremonial and as a tourist attraction.

Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 12-20-2001, 09:32 AM:

Diarize: What happens after you drink the water in some countries

------------------
Greg Mueller
Amateur Astronomer, Machinist, Filmnut
http://www.muellersatomics.com/

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 12-20-2001, 01:01 PM:

Another one: I hate when people are going to 'pour' over the article whatever. 'Pour' what? It's PORE, dammit!

Posted by Bob Maar (Member # 763) on 12-20-2001, 01:06 PM:

That's a "POOR" example. A better one would be let me "pore" over it before they "pour it out.

Posted by Richard C. Wolfe (Member # 431) on 12-21-2001, 12:33 AM:

OK then... why theatre instead of theater?

Posted by Sean McKinnon (Member # 612) on 12-21-2001, 12:43 AM:

Theatre=Movie Theatre, movies hall

Theater=Legit Theater, plays, musicals, etc...

Posted by James Robertson (Member # 888) on 12-21-2001, 02:56 AM:

What a can of worms I opened when I started this thread.

Here's something else to chew on. The use of the word "hone" when the correct word is "home" e.g. to "home in" on something not "hone in' and an even better word "fulsome" a horribly misused word incorrectly used instead of "laudatory". In case anyone thinks I'm just a smart arse-not so-I'm just a big fan of language and am glad to find a few fellows who appreciated English as what it should be speaked

Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 12-21-2001, 09:10 AM:

"....Theatre=Movie Theatre, movies hall
Theater=Legit Theater, plays, musicals, etc..."

I've always found it to be the opposite in the western Washington area

------------------
Greg Mueller
Amateur Astronomer, Machinist, Filmnut
http://www.muellersatomics.com/

Posted by Jerry Chase (Member # 660) on 12-21-2001, 10:10 AM:

Theatre vs Theater:

Quoting from a usenet post:

Well...

You don't really want to know the entire etymology of this; but I think it's the Romance languages which retain the -re or -ro spelling of the Latin ("theatrum", "centrum"), whereas the Germanic languages drop the ending (-o, -um) and often reverse the consonant-vowl-sequence in writing as well as in pronunciation. (cf. German "Theater"). In English, theatre of course is pronounced _as if_ it ended in -er, and the American way of spelling these words merely reflects their pronunciation. "Theater" seems to be less common, though, than "center" or "meter"; perhaps because the word has all kinds of high-cultural connotations and the owners wish to retain a kind of old-worldly feel.

Best,

Holger (not -re...)

Holger Schott

Department of English and American Literature and Language
Harvard University

You can read the entire thread CLICK HERE It is quite interesting.

Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 12-22-2001, 10:51 AM:

I always had trouble spelling "separate" as "seperate". Didn't figure out the correct spelling until 10-15 years ago.