Coronated

[Malc2098]

Oh I can think of a few politicians that I'd like to crown.
Back i the day I can remember my father telling me to behave before I crown you.

If I didn't behave, I can remember something about the middle of next week!

 

[Guineafowl21]

Well, I’ve certainly done my share of scoffing at US English, but thinking of our American friends on here, such as @BentonTool *, I’ll offer a couple of little counterpoints.
They’re better at using the subjunctive: US papers will state, ‘they asked that he ensure the safety of…’. You hardly ever see a UK journalist doing this.
They can spell and pronounce ‘neuron’ correctly. The UK version, ‘neurone’ is simply wrong and based on a misunderstanding.

* Not heard from for a while. Hope he’s ok.

 

[SamQ aka Ah! Q!]

neurone’ is simply wrong and based on a misunderstanding.

Do tell. Interested.

 

[Guineafowl21]

Do tell. Interested.

I’ll take you deep into the weeds of pedantry…

https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/143/1/374/5679563

In short, the original Greek is ‘νεῦρον’ which transliterates as ‘neuron’, because the penultimate letter is an omicron, a short ‘o’, not an omega, a long ‘o’. It originally meant ‘sinew’ but eventually became the accepted term for nerve cell, referring to their long, stranded processes.

Now, the French would say ‘neuron’ without sounding the last ‘n’. So, they added an e to ensure correct pronunciation. The Brits, in error, took the French spelling and pronounced it the British way, hence we have ‘neurone’, to rhyme with ‘bone’, when it should be ‘neuron’ like ‘micron’, ‘photon’ or ‘proton’.

 

[Gill]

I’d like to apologise for having started this thread.

 

[SamQ aka Ah! Q!]

hence we have ‘neurone’, to rhyme with ‘bone’, when it should be ‘neuron’ like ‘micron’, ‘photon’ or ‘proton’.

Merci beaucoup. As a practicing biologist, I have often been amused by colleagues, particularly younger ones, using the Franglais version, only to have it pointed out that papers and (good quality) textbooks have no "ee".
The Net is - of course -littered with this, and other, what I will call "malapropisms" - that word itself being a neologism!

 

[AndyP]

I’ll take you deep into the weeds of pedantry…

https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/143/1/374/5679563

In short, the original Greek is ‘νεῦρον’ which transliterates as ‘neuron’, because the penultimate letter is an omicron, a short ‘o’, not an omega, a long ‘o’. It originally meant ‘sinew’ but eventually became the accepted term for nerve cell, referring to their long, stranded processes.

Now, the French would say ‘neuron’ without sounding the last ‘n’. So, they added an e to ensure correct pronunciation. The Brits, in error, took the French spelling and pronounced it the British way, hence we have ‘neurone’, to rhyme with ‘bone’, when it should be ‘neuron’ like ‘micron’, ‘photon’ or ‘proton’.

Don’t you just love the fact that someone cares enough to write a whole paper on the subject.

I’d like to apologise for having started this thread.

Why? There is no need to apologize as we have all learnt something.

 

[Steve Maskery]

I like to think of myself as a bit of a pedant. I shout at at the wireless when someone says Less when they mean Fewer, but here I realise I am but a mere amateur in the field. I have been well and truly Out- Pedanted (Pedantified, Pedantificated?).

 

[Guineafowl21]

wireless

That’s what my old Dad used to call it! He got gentle mockery, asking why he didn’t call the car a ‘horseless’

 

[RogerS]

Yep agreed, but I don't know if regional interpretations come into play because everyone I've ever asked from around where I was brought up (Manchester) all agreed 'thing' was what they used.

It has always been 'thing' for me. With regards to a fullstop being aggressive or even slightly aggressive simply compounds my view that teenagers et al are simply far too 'precious' and 'woke' and basically need to grow a pair.

 

[Guineafowl21]

I’ve had the ‘language evolves’ argument thrown at me many a time, and I agree, basically. But, as @SamQ aka Ah! Q! will tell you, it implies that many words that come into existence are pruned away by ‘selection pressures’ - pedants. So, think of us as a vital cog in the machine…

 

[fuse]

It has always been 'thing' for me. With regards to a fullstop being aggressive or even slightly aggressive simply compounds my view that teenagers et al are simply far too 'precious' and 'woke' and basically need to grow a pair.

I was once a dads free taxi service for a group of
American kids who my son had met via his xbox tournaments and invited over.
They were all from New York and had so much metal studding in their bodies I wonder how they got through security.
Their upbringing must have been ' progressive' given their conversation.
One girl said her " moms into girls but shes now a guy so she can date straight chicks"
They were amazed they could buy drinks at under 21 but perplexed they couldnt smoke inside due to the new smoking ban
I told them they needed to go outside if they wanted to " smoke a fag"
At that point none of them spoke to me again.

 

[fiveeyes]

Change is the universal language of all life.