Language! (words change meaning)

[pmcgee]

It is rich pickings, this stuff.

I'm reminded me of another call. I'm sure someone was pulling their hair out over "burglarize" ... instead of burgle. Sounds "country yokel-ised" to me too ... but I think she said that burglarise existed first and was technically "more proper" in that it is formed in a regular way ... and burgle was backformed from burglar.

American English - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"English words that survived in the United States and not in the United KingdomA number of words and meanings that originated in Middle English or Early Modern English and that have been in everyday use in the United States dropped out in most varieties of British English; some of these have cognates in Lowland Scots. Terms such as fall ("autumn"), faucet ("tap"), diaper ("nappy"), candy ("sweets"), skillet, eyeglasses and obligate are often regarded as Americanisms. Fall for example came to denote the season in 16th century England, a contraction of Middle English expressions like "fall of the leaf" and "fall of the year".[67]
During the 17th century, English immigration to the British colonies in North America was at its peak and the new settlers took the English language with them. While the term fall gradually became obsolete in Britain, it became the more common term in North America. Gotten (past participle of get) is often considered to be an Americanism, although there are some areas of Britain, such as Lancashire and North East England, that still continue to use it and sometimes also use putten as the past participle for put (which is not done by most speakers of American English).[68]
Other words and meanings, to various extents, were brought back to Britain, especially in the second half of the 20th century; these include hire ("to employ"), quit ("to stop", which spawned quitter in the U.S.), I guess (famously criticized by H. W. Fowler), baggage, hit (a place), and the adverbs overly and presently ("currently"). Some of these, for example monkey wrench and wastebasket, originated in 19th century Britain.
The mandative subjunctive (as in "the City Attorney suggested that the case not be closed") is livelier in American English than it is in British English. It appears in some areas as a spoken usage and is considered obligatory in contexts that are more formal. The adjectives mad meaning "angry", smart meaning "intelligent", and sick meaning "ill" are also more frequent in American (these meanings are also frequent in Hiberno-English) than British English"

[pmcgee]

I found this page ... Simplified Spelling Board - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

and read "brazen" instead of "brasen" ... and had a slight heart attack.
I am determined on "-ise" vs "-ize" in the same way others will religiously hide their end-grain ... but hadn't thought I should be using "brasen".

But then ...
"Origin of BRAZEN
Middle English brasen, from Old English bræsen, from bræs brass
First Known Use: before 12th century"
and
brazen as a verb in 1555 ... so I guess I'm ok on that one.


Their book is here "Handbook of Simplified Spelling ..." 1920 ... https://archive.org/details/handbooksimplif00boargoog

and interesting to note this passage, which suggests we have already benefited from some pruning of our words

James Howell, in his "Grammar" (1662), urged a
number of simplifications in spelling, some of which —
such as honor for honour, logic for logique, sin for
sinne, war for warre, bodily for bodilie, bear for
beare, wit for witt, and their analogs — ar now in
general usage; while others — bel for bell, tru for true,
etc. — ar still regarded by many as startling innovations.
John Ray publisht (1691) a "Note on the Errours of Our Alphabet'*.

It also reminded me of something the professor used to mention that I had more than half forgotten, about the origins of words getting "fluffed over" by some pompous gits wanting to artificially "classicalise" the language ...

"Classical Influences

In the meantime, and more particularly in the 16th
Century, many writers of English, more familiar with
the literatures of Greece and Rome than with the history
of their nativ tung, sought to emfasize their classical
erudition by attempts to indicate in their spelling
the real or supposed derivations of English words from
the Latin and the Greek.

In this way 'b' came to be inserted in debt by those who deemd it important to trace
the origin of the word directly back to the Latin debitum,
rather than thru the French dette (early modern
English dette, det). Thus, too, came 'c' into scissors,
from a supposed derivation of the word from the Latin
scindere, whereas its true basis is caedere, to cut. The
Old French form is cisoires. Chaucer has sisoures.

So, also, came 's' into island, assumed to be derived, like
isle, from the Latin insula, whereas the 'i' really represents
a quite independent Old English word that survives
in ey-ot, Batters-ea, Angles-ey, Aldern-ey, etc.
Isle itself, tho so speld in the earliest Old French, with
the 's' pronounst, had been simplified to ile, to accord
with the changed pronunciation, at the time the word
was adopted into Middle English as ile, yle. It was
speld ile by Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, Milton, and other
modern English writers. "

[pmcgee]

anger - definition of anger by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.
Hot stuff ...

39. Fuming anger like a toaster with crust jammed against its heating coil —Ira Wood
62. Mad as a wet hen
86. The young man’s wrath is like straw of fire, but like red hot steel is the old man’s ire —Lord Byron

Cathartic ... (better out than in) ...

9. Anger … like Mississippi thunderstorms, full of noise and lightning, but once it passed, the air was cleared —Gloria Norris

[pmcgee]

I just now noted the spelling of 'panicked' ... there must be a story behind that 'k'.

[artme]

Wouldn't "c" have to be about the most useless and misleading letter in the English alpahbet??

And don't come at me with "it's needed for "ch"'. Spell "ch" phonetically or invent another symbol!!!


BTW picnic and frolic also use "k" in a similar fashion.

Compare the çk"" with the "cc"" in accommodate. They both produce a "hard" "k" sound.

[pmcgee]

Our politicians are losing the art of speaking in artful squiggles ...

Smith: Wealth of Nations, Book I, Chapter 11 | Library of Economics and Liberty


"21.[Tobacco growing in England, Ireland and the Channel Islands was prohibited by 12 Car. II., c. 34, the preamble of which alleges that the lords and commons have considered 'of how great concern and importance it is that the colonies and plantations of this kingdom in America be defended, maintained and kept up, and that all due and possible encouragement be given unto them, and that not only in regard great and considerable dominions and countries have been thereby gained and added to the imperial crown of this realm, but for that the strength and welfare of this kingdom do very much depend upon them in regard of the employment of a very considerable part of its shipping and seamen, and of the vent of very great quantities of its native commodities and manufactures as also of its supply with several considerable commodities which it was wont formerly to have only from foreigners and at far dearer rates, and forasmuch as tobacco is one of the main products of several of those plantations and upon which their welfare and subsistence and the navigation of this kingdom and vent of its commodities thither do much depend; And in regard it is found by experience that the tobaccos planted in these parts are not so good and wholesome for the takers thereof, and that by the planting thereof Your Majesty is deprived of a considerable part of your revenue.' The prohibition was extended to Scotland by 22 Geo. III., c. 73.]"

[artme]

Well bugger me!!!

Wouldn't the free traders have a picnic???

[pmcgee]

While I remember ... there was also discussion with the professor on eg "often" ... "off-en" or "off-ten"

vs "soften" ... there was an historic context to it that I don't recall.


... also "length", "width" but not "heighth" (except Rob Cosman (canadian) says that).

[Boringgeoff]

Last year we did a tour of the old phosphate mine at Wellington NSW and the young lady guide who was from Wellington happened to mention that we might see the bones of an ancient "skellington" I could have kissed her, she was talking my language and I couldn't resist asking if we might be lucky enough to see the skellington of a pellington.
Me and lovely guide lady...1, rest of party... Nil.
Geoff.

[pmcgee]

Nice boat-building site ... videos run kinda slow, but.

"Fairing Frames (large boats)

Introduction


This is another skill in boat building where experience plays a role in applying it. Despite the work going in to ensuring that the frames are accurate prior to this stage in the build, the process of fairing frames is still vital. How each frame relates to its neighbour has a huge influence on the way a plank runs around them, affecting the aesthetics of the hull. Also contact between frame and plank is important structurally.


The person carrying out this process must remember they are not only fairing along the vessel but also up each frame. It is really adjusting the bevel angle of each frame to enable the plank to sit on the frame and correcting any unfairness which has been built into the vessel during the early stages of the build.


- See more at: http://www.boat-building.org/learn-skills/index.php/en/wood/fairing-frames-large-boats"

"Fairing" I already know as a word ... Woodwould would write about fairing cabriole legs into the body of a cabinet.

But it is interesting to me to see the word "unfairness" used here - giving it such a different slant to how we normally understand the word.

Paul

[Bushmiller]

Back in the 17th century the word "fair" used to mean attractive or beautiful. From "As You Like It."

"for those she makes fair she scarce makes honest and those she makes honest she makes very ill-favouredly."

Referred to a woman .

Regards
Paul

[pmcgee]

Back in the 17th century the word "fair" used to mean attractive or beautiful.

I first assumed you were joking ... were you?
I think this is still current. It worked for Robert Browning (1812-1880) ... http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/my-last-duchess

From "As You Like It."
"for those she makes fair she scarce makes honest and those she makes honest she makes very ill-favouredly."

Refreshing lack of PC in some of that Shakespeare-y stuff.
Chaucer too if I recall correctly.

[pmcgee]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uff_da

[artme]

Well i"ll be buggered!

[A Duke]

Uuff-da