AquAduct or AquEduct
A.J. Clarke
> Date: Thu, 01 Oct 1998 22:36:50 +0100
> Subject: Re: Llangollen photos AquAduct or AquEduct
> A stupid question. how does one spell aquAduct, like this as I and everyone
> else always have, OR aquEduct as the UK english spelling checker of
> Netscape proposes.
> I have been using this spelling checker for months and was starting to
> believe that there were hundreds of words that I had consistently spelt
> wrong all my life. as opposed to mistyped.
It's not a stupid question at all: so many usages respect the
Latin root and render it aqua- (aquatic, aquarium, etc), but it's
definitely AquEduct - and for that matter, AquIfer, both impeccably
Latinate words.
Thorny question, spelling: I refuse to use spellcheckers since
they just dumbly flag up every proper name and usage that doesn't feature
in their tiny vocabularies (and they take up unfeasible amounts of
disk-space, especially if you patiently add to that vocabulary instead of
skipping the queries). They can also encourage a false sense of letting
the computer take your awkward decisions for you, or something convenient
to blame. However I am one of those lucky folk blessed with near-perfect
visual recall of spellings, and can usually spot a correct version of even
wierd words if I write them out several ways.
The only ways to keep a good sense of spelling are to 1) read a
lot - books, not just papers, 2) own a decent dictionary, so the context
and origins of a new word can be absorbed - something a spellchecker will
not do: it shouts rather than explains. Oh, and learn Latin...
Tony the Literate
Cambridge
Martin E Phillips
"A.J. Clarke" <aj...@cus.cam.ac.uk> writes
>However I am one of those lucky folk blessed with near-perfect
>visual recall of spellings, and can usually spot a correct version of even
>wierd words if I write them out several ways.
Weird, Tony.
Wassail!
--
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Barbara Ehmann
>wierd words if I write them out several ways.
You DID do that on purpose, didn't you? :-)
Barbara
MartinP
Barbara Ehmann wrote:
are ewe shure?
MartinP
A.J. Clarke wrote:
> > From: MartinP <m.pat...@consunet.nl>
> > Date: Thu, 01 Oct 1998 22:36:50 +0100
> > Subject: Re: Llangollen photos AquAduct or AquEduct
>
> > A stupid question. how does one spell aquAduct, like this as I and everyone
> > else always have, OR aquEduct as the UK english spelling checker of
> > Netscape proposes.
> > I have been using this spelling checker for months and was starting to
> > believe that there were hundreds of words that I had consistently spelt
> > wrong all my life. as opposed to mistyped.
>
> It's not a stupid question at all: so many usages respect the
> Latin root and render it aqua- (aquatic, aquarium, etc), but it's
> definitely AquEduct - and for that matter, AquIfer, both impeccably
> Latinate words.
>
> Thorny question, spelling: I refuse to use spellcheckers since
> they just dumbly flag up every proper name and usage that doesn't feature
> in their tiny vocabularies (and they take up unfeasible amounts of
> disk-space, especially if you patiently add to that vocabulary instead of
> skipping the queries). They can also encourage a false sense of letting
> the computer take your awkward decisions for you, or something convenient
> to blame. However I am one of those lucky folk blessed with near-perfect
> visual recall of spellings, and can usually spot a correct version of even
> wierd words if I write them out several ways.
>
> The only ways to keep a good sense of spelling are to 1) read a
> lot - books, not just papers, 2) own a decent dictionary, so the context
> and origins of a new word can be absorbed - something a spellchecker will
> not do: it shouts rather than explains. Oh, and learn Latin...
>
> Tony the Literate
> Cambridge
Well having run the spellchecker again, I see that your name is really Clerk or
Clare, my name is Martini (shaken not stirred) and the word spellchecker does not
exist. We won't go into what Tin Hat's name really is.
Aquaduct is wrong but some how aqua duct is o.k.
Spellcheckers are a tool of the devil.
I have read an immense number of books, I do have a good dictionary, I did learn
Latin 40 odd years ago and I have always spelt it aquaduct, like almost everyone
else on the ng.
Dral
/Re: AquAduct or AquEduct/ was sent by *A.J. Clarke*
> Thorny question, spelling: I refuse to use spellcheckers since
> they just dumbly flag up every proper name and usage that doesn't feature
> in their tiny vocabularies (and they take up unfeasible amounts of
> disk-space, especially if you patiently add to that vocabulary instead of
> skipping the queries). They can also encourage a false sense of letting
> the computer take your awkward decisions for you, or something convenient
> to blame.
Jeff uploaded a very good poem about spill chuckers earlier this year.
If he's reading this he may re-post it (please)? Or tell us
its title so we may take the advice of superior beings and tell
ourselves "dejanews is our friend"!!
--
--
_______________________________________________
CANALS: Roots & Routes
Voted Best Personal Canal Web Site 1998
(Canal & Riverboat Magazine)
http://www.blacksheep.org/canals/dral/index.htm
_______________________________________________
John Kellett
A.J. Clarke wrote:
> Thorny question, spelling: I refuse to use spellcheckers since
> they just dumbly flag up every proper name and usage that doesn't feature
> in their tiny vocabularies (and they take up unfeasible amounts of
> disk-space, especially if you patiently add to that vocabulary instead of
> skipping the queries). They can also encourage a false sense of letting
> the computer take your awkward decisions for you, or something convenient
> to blame. However I am one of those lucky folk blessed with near-perfect
> visual recall of spellings, and can usually spot a correct version of even
> wierd words if I write them out several ways.
Another major problem with spellcheckers is the number of people in Great Britain
who fail to change the 'default' dictionary on their computer to English. Mr.
William Gate's Microbrain (and others) have conspired to lead the world to
believe that the American language is English. The cheek of it.
Regards,
John the floating architect
John Kellett
those that are new to my limited vocabulary. However, my fingers can't spell at
all when typing.
Regards,
John the spelling architect
Martin E Phillips wrote:
> In article <Pine.SOL.3.96.98100...@ursa.cus.cam.ac.uk>,
> "A.J. Clarke" <aj...@cus.cam.ac.uk> writes
> >However I am one of those lucky folk blessed with near-perfect
> >visual recall of spellings, and can usually spot a correct version of even
> >wierd words if I write them out several ways.
>
MartinP
John Kellett wrote:
> I thought that everybody spells like that. The only words I have to look up are
> those that are new to my limited vocabulary. However, my fingers can't spell at
> all when typing.
>
> Regards,
> John the spelling architect
>
> Martin E Phillips wrote:
>
> > In article <Pine.SOL.3.96.98100...@ursa.cus.cam.ac.uk>,
> > "A.J. Clarke" <aj...@cus.cam.ac.uk> writes
>
> > >wierd words if I write them out several ways.
I before E except after C
Michael J Wooding
<m.pat...@consunet.nl> writes
>I before E except after C
Apart from all the exceptions :->
Mike
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MartinP
Michael J Wooding wrote:
> In article <361651DB...@consunet.nl>, MartinP
> <m.pat...@consunet.nl> writes
> >I before E except after C
>
> Apart from all the exceptions :->
>
> Mike
Weird eh? :O)
Michael J Wooding
<m.pat...@consunet.nl> writes
>Weird eh? :O)
Yes, it weighs heavily on my mind :->
I heard it said somewhere that there are more exceptions to that rule
than compliances - any of our English Masters about?
Nick Cooke
wrote:
Nick
MartinP
Nick Cooke wrote:
Doesn't help with weird though does it?