Comments on: The Oddest and Dumbest English Spellings, Part 15, With a Note on Words and Things http://blog.oup.com/2009/10/dumbest_english_spellings/ Academic insights for the thinking world. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:14:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Dictation redux | Autonoblogger http://blog.oup.com/2009/10/dumbest_english_spellings/comment-page-1/#comment-156396 Dictation redux | Autonoblogger Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:54:59 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=5963#comment-156396 [...] The Oddest and Dumbest English Spellings, Part 15, With a Note on Words and Things (oup.com) [...] [...] The Oddest and Dumbest English Spellings, Part 15, With a Note on Words and Things (oup.com) [...]

]]> By: Malcolm http://blog.oup.com/2009/10/dumbest_english_spellings/comment-page-1/#comment-155286 Malcolm Wed, 02 Dec 2009 03:50:11 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=5963#comment-155286 Of all the various misspellings of my name, the one I've come to most detest is "Malcomb". Of all the various misspellings of my name, the one I’ve come to most detest is “Malcomb”.

]]> By: val Yule http://blog.oup.com/2009/10/dumbest_english_spellings/comment-page-1/#comment-154145 val Yule Sat, 31 Oct 2009 06:55:59 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=5963#comment-154145 Etymology is shown to be no guide to English spelling, and often misleads. Unnecessarily difficult words should be systematised so that people did not have the problems with English spelling that are notorious. Etymology is shown to be no guide to English spelling, and often misleads. Unnecessarily difficult words should be systematised so that people did not have the problems with English spelling that are notorious.

]]> By: John Longnecker http://blog.oup.com/2009/10/dumbest_english_spellings/comment-page-1/#comment-154130 John Longnecker Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:08:44 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=5963#comment-154130 Why do improbable phrases become so popular? I think of "turned up missing" or, one that appears almost daily in the news "went missing". Why do improbable phrases become so popular? I think of “turned up missing” or, one that appears almost daily in the news “went missing”.

]]> By: Richard Comaish http://blog.oup.com/2009/10/dumbest_english_spellings/comment-page-1/#comment-154032 Richard Comaish Sat, 24 Oct 2009 19:28:41 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=5963#comment-154032 'Thumb,' like 'dumb,' needs an additional consonant to facilitate verbal declension, when you think about it (and double 'm' might look *dumb.* Having said that, it just occurred to me that American usage needs two homophonous spellings of 'dumb' to distinguish meanings and avoid offense). There is no certain evidence of how Middle Englanders pronounced 'solemn' or anything else, and there undoubtedly have been forces at work in English spelling intent on inserting silent letters, either for purposes of line spacing or rococo effect. ‘Thumb,’ like ‘dumb,’ needs an additional consonant to facilitate verbal declension, when you think about it (and double ‘m’ might look *dumb.* Having said that, it just occurred to me that American usage needs two homophonous spellings of ‘dumb’ to distinguish meanings and avoid offense).
There is no certain evidence of how Middle Englanders pronounced ’solemn’ or anything else, and there undoubtedly have been forces at work in English spelling intent on inserting silent letters, either for purposes of line spacing or rococo effect.

]]> By: Richard Comaish http://blog.oup.com/2009/10/dumbest_english_spellings/comment-page-1/#comment-154031 Richard Comaish Sat, 24 Oct 2009 19:09:59 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=5963#comment-154031 'Good' & 'God' not etymologically related? This is a counter-intuitive and ultimately undemonstrable statement of faith of the kind which leads to schisms. ‘Good’ & ‘God’ not etymologically related? This is a counter-intuitive and ultimately undemonstrable statement of faith of the kind which leads to schisms.

]]> By: Luciano http://blog.oup.com/2009/10/dumbest_english_spellings/comment-page-1/#comment-154028 Luciano Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:25:34 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=5963#comment-154028 A similar process happened from Latin to Spanish: homo, hominis - hombre, fames, famis - hambre, legumen, leguminis - legumbre, and a few others. A similar process happened from Latin to Spanish: homo, hominis – hombre, fames, famis – hambre, legumen, leguminis – legumbre, and a few others.

]]> By: Doug Everingham http://blog.oup.com/2009/10/dumbest_english_spellings/comment-page-1/#comment-154027 Doug Everingham Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:16:32 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=5963#comment-154027 climb, clamber ? related to clamp, cramp, crimp, crimple, crumple and optional 'p' sound in tempt, cramped etc., 'b' sound in crumbed ? climb, clamber ? related to clamp, cramp, crimp, crimple, crumple and optional ‘p’ sound in tempt, cramped etc., ‘b’ sound in crumbed ?

]]> By: Stephen Goranson http://blog.oup.com/2009/10/dumbest_english_spellings/comment-page-1/#comment-154005 Stephen Goranson Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:10:26 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=5963#comment-154005 Quite interesting.. Some of that lore: http://www.romanticroad.com/fingerhutmuseum/ "History of the Thimble...By The Fingerhut Museum's Founder" Quite interesting.. Some of that lore:
http://www.romanticroad.com/fingerhutmuseum/
“History of the Thimble…By The Fingerhut Museum’s Founder”

]]> By: uberVU - social comments http://blog.oup.com/2009/10/dumbest_english_spellings/comment-page-1/#comment-153970 uberVU - social comments Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:56:02 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=5963#comment-153970 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by oupblog: The dumbest English spellings: http://bit.ly/4w5my7... Social comments and analytics for this post…

This post was mentioned on Twitter by oupblog: The dumbest English spellings: http://bit.ly/4w5my7...

]]> By: Tweets that mention The Oddest and Dumbest English Spellings, Part 15, With a Note on Words and Things : OUPblog -- Topsy.com http://blog.oup.com/2009/10/dumbest_english_spellings/comment-page-1/#comment-153966 Tweets that mention The Oddest and Dumbest English Spellings, Part 15, With a Note on Words and Things : OUPblog -- Topsy.com Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:59:06 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=5963#comment-153966 [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Kassia Krozser and Rebecca, Chris Davey. Chris Davey said: RT @oupblog: The dumbest English spellings: http://bit.ly/4w5my7 / (Is this really part 15 of a series?) [...] [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Kassia Krozser and Rebecca, Chris Davey. Chris Davey said: RT @oupblog: The dumbest English spellings: http://bit.ly/4w5my7 / (Is this really part 15 of a series?) [...]

]]> By: Nancy http://blog.oup.com/2009/10/dumbest_english_spellings/comment-page-1/#comment-153965 Nancy Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:56:38 +0000 http://blog.oup.com/?p=5963#comment-153965 Wonderful post, as always! But as someone who's sewn since childhood, I have one correction: A thimble is worn on the *middle* finger, not the index finger. So it should be all rights be called .... (I'll leave that to you!) Wonderful post, as always! But as someone who’s sewn since childhood, I have one correction: A thimble is worn on the *middle* finger, not the index finger. So it should be all rights be called …. (I’ll leave that to you!)

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