I don't understand you, but I love your reasoning and instructive
notations. Keep ranting!
Shirley Meneice
Jim McKenney wrote:
>At 01:08 PM 7/13/2004 -0500, Jim Shields wrote:
>
>
>
>>I'll bite on the aeuploid/aneuploid thing -- I've never seen the "aeuploid"
>>spelling anywhere except in your message.
>>
>>
>
>Nor have I, except in my own notebooks.
>
>
>
>>Tell us about it, please.
>>
>>
>
>With pleasure. VBG!
>
>Here's the deal. The spelling aneuploid- (where the - represents an ending
>appropriate to the language in question) is fine for those languages in
>which the combination eu has a vowel sound.
>
>However, in English, eu at the beginning of a word has a consonant sound.
>The same is generally true of the letter u at the beginning of words in
>English: it does not usually have a vowel sound.
>
>The usual notions of euphony in English expect, for instance, the
>indefinite article to change from "a" before a consonant sound to "an"
>before a vowel sound. Thus, most of us say "a union", "a euphemism" and so
>on rather than "an union" or "an euphemism".
>
>[Those taught this rule incorrectly as "a" before a consonant and "an"
>before a vowel must have trouble when they apply the "rule" by rote to
>those words beginning with the consonantal "u". I occasionally hear people
>doing this. I've even encountered people who not only cling to this
>practice but defend it.]
>
>
>Note that the "rule" is that the change is determined not by the presence
>of a vowel or a consonant, but rather by the presence of a vowel sound or a
>consonant sound.
>
>The same rule prevailed in classical languages. In this case, the "a" is
>not the indefinite article but rather something sometimes called the
>"privative a" - because it is used to indicate the lack of something. In
>the classical languages, eu (initial or not) had a vowel sound. Thus, when
>"a" was placed before a word beginning with "eu" the result was "aneu".
>
>In English we have this dopey system where the classical spelling rules are
>applied to English by rote by people who evidently don't understand or
>respect the underlying principles. In English, a + initial eu gives aeu
>because eu in this case has a consonant sound - thus aeuploid, not aneuploid.
>
>This whole issue is a good example of another theme which has been treated
>in an earlier rant: the preoccupation people have with the way things look
>(in this case, "by rote" rules of spelling).
>
>Pretty exciting stuff, huh?
>
>Jim McKenney
>jimmckenney@starpower.net
>Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where I realize I'll be the
>only one using clone in its original sense and saying and spelling
>aeuploid; I don't get it, why don't people understand me?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>>Jim,
>>
>>We are probably all just too polite to mention these little
>>problems......<VBG> Besides, the Swiss spelling is "Strubelpeter"
>>according to my Swiss wife, who grew up in Switzerland and should know. I
>>would have guessed "Strüwelpeter" myself.
>>
>>I'll bite on the aeuploid/aneuploid thing -- I've never seen the "aeuploid"
>>spelling anywhere except in your message. Tell us about it, please.
>>
>>Jim Shields
>>
>>At 11:28 AM 7/13/2004 -0400, you wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Well, it turns out that Streuwelpeter/Stuwwelpeter was not the only slip of
>>>the typing fingers in that post.
>>>
>>>When I merrily poked fun at the "euphonically challenged " who use the
>>>spelling aneupolids, I was a bit orthographically challenged myself: I
>>>should have typed "aneuploids".
>>>
>>>Isn't any one reading these posts? I've given all of you three
>>>opportunities (the Streuwelpeter/Stuwwelpeter thing, the misspelling
>>>aneupolid, and catchiest of all the aeuploid/aneuploid issue) to jump in
>>>and straighten me out, and no one has taken any of them!
>>>
>>>I'll attribute it to aestival lassitude.
>>>
>>>Someone please at least take the bait on the aeuploid/aneuploid thing so I
>>>can do my piece on that.
>>>
>>>Jim McKenney
>>>jimmckenney@starpower.net
>>>Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where the miasma has kept me
>>>in for the last few days.
>>>
>>>
>>*************************************************
>>Jim Shields USDA Zone 5 Shields Gardens, Ltd.
>>P.O. Box 92 WWW: http://www.shieldsgardens.com/
>>Westfield, Indiana 46074, USA
>>Tel. ++1-317-867-3344 or toll-free 1-866-449-3344 in USA
>>
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>>
>>
>>
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