LL-L "Orthography" 2005.01.21 (05) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 21.JAN.2005 (05) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Críostóir Ó Ciardha <paada_please at yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Orthography" 2005.01.21 (02) [E]


Mícheál Ó Muireagáin wrote:
"I also use the "hideous" spelling "email". (And British placing of
punctuation outside of quotation marks.)"

I realise I probably seem a rabid linguistic conservative, but a hyphen is
perfect in "e-mail" because it performs a necessary (at least to me)
etymological function - namely to remind the reader that it is an
abbreviation of "electronic mail". In "no one" or "no-one" the hyphen is not
necessary and serves only a superficial linking purpose. So there is a
relatively important difference there in my mind.

I find many other usages hideous, too, so I might as well get them all out
in one go. Reading the Australian papers online I see "telco" (a sort of
contraction / abbreviation / garbling of "telecommunications company", I
think) imported from the United States, and I have seen similar
abbreviations such as "mindef" and "singov" (for "Ministry of Defence" and
Singaporean Government) in Singaporean English and "legco" (for "Legislative
Council") in Hong Kong English. I do not think they are "bad English"
because there is no such thing, but I shudder when I see them because they
simply do not 'sound right'... much, I suspect, as when an American hears
[va:z] for their [ve:s] "vase" or "pavement" for their "sidewalk" or,
perhaps the best example of all, "telly" for their "TV".

Go raibh maith agat,

Criostóir.

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