Kudo to Key

[firefighter]

English dictionary. Kudo belongs in the same draw as aluminum and gotten.

Gahh! Thud.

Actually the discoverer of aluminium actually named it aluminum, therefore believe it or not the yanks actually say/spell it properly.

"Humphry Davy, the element's discoverer, first proposed the name alumium, and then later aluminum."

Edit, never mind I see this has been in debate already, lol

[Hitcher]

Actually the discoverer of aluminium actually named it aluminum, therefore believe it or not the yanks actually say/spell it properly.

The Americans pronounce it that way because they just like being out of step with the rest of the world. The same reason they eschew the metric system and have their own gallon and octane rating, have no unit of weight bigger than a pound, have upsidedown light switches and powerpoints, use 110V 50Hz electricity, have NTSC televisions, drive on the right, send the moon and the sun around the sky the wrong way, believe that they live in a democracy... The list is endless.

[firefighter]

send the moon and the sun around the sky the wrong way

hahahahahaha, yes I hate the way they do a lot of things too, but in saying that the poms still use pounds, ounces and miles also. Something that I find particularly unnessessary is how the US gallon is different to a UK gallon...and they way they change the spelling of words like tyre to tire, as if the word tire does'nt already mean something.

[Hitcher]

I neglected to mention dairy-free whipped cream. And that stuff they think is coffee.

[MisterD]

but in saying that the poms still use pounds, ounces and miles also.

We've got an excuse though - the French invented metres!

[Skyryder]

What's the latest? Have we finally given away the Clark/Peters finger-wagging in favour of something a bit more pragmatic? I don't see us jumping to impose sanctions following the overthrow of the democratically elected Thai government...

I'm doing my best to encourage it. I said "Johnno ol son" it's first name basis at the mo, "whatch got do is give some aid the the
Thais' then you jump up onto the moral high ground as you have done old Bane."

"Fuck of Sky,' says Johnno, "I touched him up for a loan to pay for the ACC losses



Skyryder

[Hoon]

I like the way you are handling the Fijian thing. I'm impressed.

Looks like he had help.

McCully consulting Clark on Fiji
Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Update: 3:24PM New Zealands foreign minister Murray McCully has been receiving advice from former Prime Minister Helen Clark how to handle the standoff with Fiji.

Newstalk ZB website reports Mr McCully is waiting for official word on reports that the acting High Commissioner to Fiji, Caroline McDonald faces expulsion.

Labour leader Phil Goff confirmed Mr McCully has been speaking with the Labour Party member in recent days.

Mr Goff said there was some degree of inexperience, adding it was only fair Mr McCully is taking advice from Ms Clark.

He made the comments based on the experience of the former prime minister of NZ; to be able to assist the new National Government is a good sign of cooperation.

[Skyryder]

Looks like he had help.

Well its not McCully. That dumb prick wouldn't know the difference between a cocktail onion and swizel stick.


Skyryder

[Pixie]

hahahahahaha, yes I hate the way they do a lot of things too, but in saying that the poms still use pounds, ounces and miles also.

...and firkins and hogsheads and quimwoggles etc.

You will find the american versions of words etc are generally the older versions of english terms.
There are islands off the east coast of the US that speak a dialect of english that is little changed from that which Shakespear spoke.

The question to ask is why we follow every change the fuggin' poms make,like little lap dogs.

[Okey Dokey]

Another reason for strange (to us) American spellings is one Mr Webster. He compiled the first dictionary of American English and he was a confirmed believer in simplified spelling. He decided to take the u out of words like neighbour, change the y in tyre to an i, and other common "Americanisms" Published his book and his views triumphed.

When you consider the hodge podge of nationalities in America in the 1800s I guess he struck the right time to advance his views. Germans, Swedes, whatever, they would rely on what the dictionary said was correct, I guess.

And the rest is history...

It was marketers who inflicted words like "nite" on the general public. Even Americans still spell it as "night"

[Hitcher]

The question to ask is why we follow every change the fuggin' poms make,like little lap dogs.

Because language is import. We (English users) spell words sometimes in a "funny" manner because we respect their origins and history. Of course English could be phoneticised, or a whole bunch of rules applied to simplify and standardise it. But then it wouldn't be English any more.

All other languages face exactly the same issue in terms of maintaining standards. Spain and France even have official language academies, largely to stop their tongues being permeated by what they deem to be offensive Anglicisation. I don't blame them.

Even if English was standardised and simplified, there would still be dickheads who currently rail against English language conventions who would still cock things up, either because they're too lazy or because they think that their way is right.