A new (to me, IAC) spelling rule

[Jonathan Lighter]

The prescription at least creates a pleasant consistency in any particular
journal or work. If that was the originator's idea, it's pretty nifty.

Otherwise, it's fairly pointless and annoying, not "compelling."  Anybody
reading an entomological or dendrological journal in the first place already
knows what's a true "X" and what isn't, or will soon find out.

But I do fancy the idea that we can learn the true nature of things by
checking their orthography. (Note to self:  apply for research funds today.)

The trend for half a century or more has been strongly toward writing short
binomial nouns - trees, insects, or otherwise - as one-word compounds.

JL

On Wed, Sep 1, 2010 at 2:18 AM, Eric Nielsen <ericbarnak at gmail.com> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Eric Nielsen <ericbarnak at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: A new (to me, IAC) spelling rule
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Someone who studies the origin of insect names?
>
> Eric
>
> On Wed, Sep 1, 2010 at 2:13 AM, Victor Steinbok <aardvark66 at gmail.com
> >wrote:
>
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> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Victor Steinbok <aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: A new (to me, IAC) spelling rule
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> >  On a completely different note: "entymologists"? Seriously?? This from
> > a prescriptive grammarian?
> >
> >     VS-)
> >
> > On 8/31/2010 10:12 PM, Arnold Zwicky wrote:
> > > ...
> > > [comment #19]
> > > I understand that entymologists refer to them as bed bugs (2 words)
> > > ...
> >
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