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From: crowl@rochester.ARPA (Lawrence Crowl)
Newsgroups: sci.lang
Subject: Re: "Presently" ?= "Now"
Message-ID: <21840@rochester.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 22-Oct-86 12:27:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: rocheste.21840
Posted: Wed Oct 22 12:27:37 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 22-Oct-86 23:12:22 EDT
References: <3489@utcsri.UUCP> <2579@ihlpg.UUCP> <12092@watnot.UUCP>
Reply-To: crowl@rochester.UUCP (Lawrence Crowl)
Distribution: net
Organization: U of Rochester, CS Dept, Rochester, NY
Lines: 52
Keywords: colour, flavour, honour, centre, cheque, night, barbecue, etc.

In article <12092@watnot.UUCP> ccplumb@watnot.UUCP () writes:
>ONE thing the yankees haven't managed to impress on us is their  fanatic
>desire to abbreviate the language.

English has a history of "fanatic" desire to abbreviate the language.  Do you
want gender?  Do you want case affixes?  English had them, and would still have
them if its speakers did not want to change the language.  One of the strengths
of English is its adaptability to change.

>I really do wonder how they got banks, those bastions of continuity, (sight
>exaggeration confessed) to  offer "drive-thru check cashing".  

Signs with fewer letters are less expensive. :-)

>And _must_ they purge haf the vowels from the language?  

We have not purged half the vowels from the language.  We have made some
progress in making the spelling closer to the pronunciation.  One of the major
drawbacks to learning English is its brain-damaged spelling system.  By the
way, your spelling of "half" is better.

>It's a royal pain to restore "colour", "honour", "arbour", etc. (see keywords
>line in header) to a spelling-checker's dictionary.

So why are you buying an American English dictionary?  You could either buy a
Canadian English one or type your own.  Buying an American English dictionary
and then complaining because it does not use Canadian English spellings strikes
me as unfair.

>Are there any Brits (or Scots, Welsh, or Irish) out there who've felt this
>American linguistic imperialism?

Now wait one minute!  Who is telling whom how to spell?  You are telling
Americans how to spell.  This is Canadian linguistic imperialism, not American. 
We are not telling you how to spell your words, but you should not expect to
read Canadian spellings in American books.

Speaking of linguistic imperialism, the Scots, Welsh and Irish already have
felt it to such an extent from England, that Gaelic is dying out.  Tell me, do
the French Canadians feel any more linguistic imperialism from "color" as
opposed to "colour"?  I doubt it.

>I wouldn't mind hearing a few other flames about my pet peeve.

Is this what you had in mind?  Warm heads think better.

>    -Colin Plumb  (ccplumb@watnot.UUCP)

-- 
  Lawrence Crowl		716-275-5766	University of Rochester
			crowl@rochester.arpa	Computer Science Department
 ...!{allegra,decvax,seismo}!rochester!crowl	Rochester, New York,  14627