Off topic: English orthography

From: Michael Everson (everson@indigo.ie)
Date: Wed Jul 21 1999 - 06:05:52 EDT


Ar 12:56 -0700 1999-07-20, scríobh A. Vine:

>Dictionary authorities (not just Webster's) do not agree with you, nor do I or
>any of the native English speakers I encounter.

Untrue.

From the Concise Oxford:

cooperate (also co-operate)
decor (also décor)
déjà vu (also deja vu)
façade (also facade)
naive (also naïve)
résumé (also resumé)

From the American Heritage Dictionary:

cooperate. Also co-operate, coöperate.
décor. Also decor.
déjà vu.
façade. Also facade.
naive, naïve.
résumé.

Now as far as I know, the British lexicographical tradition tends to the
descriptive in terms of ranking the alternates (that is, the more common
form appears first all things being equal), while the American
lexicographical tradition tends to the prescriptive (that is the "better"
or "preferred" form appears first.

>Feel free to spell at will, but not including the accents is as correct as
>including them.

In good typography it is considered better to include them. One should
always strive for good typography. I hope everyone reading this feels
guilty if they leave out the cedilla the next time they write "façade".

>You can try to be prescriptivist with living languages, but they will
>continue to evolve.

Of course orthography is prescriptivist. There are correct ways to spell
and incorrect ways to spell. For a subset of the words in our language,
there are preferred and less-preferred forms.

Linguistic evolution is like when the back vowels front in surfer speech in
Southern California (dude = /dud/ > /dyd/)

--
Michael Everson * Everson Gunn Teoranta * http://www.indigo.ie/egt
15 Port Chaeimhghein Íochtarach; Baile Átha Cliath 2; Éire/Ireland
Guthán: +353 1 478 2597 ** Facsa: +353 1 478 2597 (by arrangement)
27 Páirc an Fhéithlinn;  Baile an Bhóthair;  Co. Átha Cliath; Éire



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