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Post by Verbivore on Dec 1, 2019 0:10:45 GMT
On 1 December 1971 Michael S Hart launched Project Gutenberg, choosing the American Declaration of Independence as his first text. This digital archive of noteworthy texts was started up using ARPANET, the original version of the internet. I have found many interesting out-of-copyright texts on PG (the AU version in particular) and recommend it for those with an interest in such publications. A PG text I found in 2006 was that of the first "dictionary" compiled in Australia: James Hardy Vaux's A Comprehensive Vocabulary of the Flash Language (original edition: 1812). I republished it in a new (and emended) hard copy edition in 2007. And for some years I've been labouring on another republication of a PG-sourced text: that of a significant early dictionary of Austral English (i.e. the colonial-era English that developed in AU and NZ). Last I checked in on that project I was up to R.
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Post by Dave Miller on Dec 1, 2019 10:05:48 GMT
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-50602665The APS is closed. From that article: "The use of the comma is appalling. When I read some newspaper websites they just don't understand what it is used for." Would it mean, then, that they would understand if he stopped reading the websites?
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Post by Verbivore on Dec 1, 2019 11:39:49 GMT
Ha! Inevitable methinks. Far too narrow and pedantic – which is why we are here.
Goodbye to the APS forum and thanks, JR, for bringing us together.
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Post by Verbivore on Dec 2, 2019 11:21:22 GMT
A new word – that (almost) makes sense: subsequencially
– from a description of the Bosch CIS fuel-injection system.
As the airflow lifts the sensor plate this subsequencially lifts the control plunger - the higher the lift the greater the amount of fuel delivered to the injectors.
The author's text was liberally sprinkled with greengrocers' mechanics' apostrophes and other literary litter, so his subsequencially fitted right in.
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Post by Verbivore on Dec 2, 2019 11:34:43 GMT
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Post by Little Jack Horner on Dec 2, 2019 14:56:04 GMT
What should one say? I don’t know. But I say, “Good for John Richards.” Not only has he achieved a grand old age but he has generated wider interest in apostrophe use and has provided a point of pleasure for many people (or persons). Notwithstanding that I often disagreed with his views and, in recent years, seldom visited his forum, I will miss knowing that his website is out there campaigning for something worthwhile — in a similar way that I miss the existence of an extinct species of animal that I have never seen.
The ABC article references the views of Tiger Webb. In his article, Webb mentions, apparently with approval, the comment of Denison that "Genuine ambiguities caused by omission or misuse of the apostrophe are very infrequent indeed” and Pullum’s that “the level of harmful confusion attendant on dropping all apostrophes from written English would be zero". So what? Similar remarks might equally applied to most grammatical and spelling errors. If I were to write, “I gone on holiday” or “I went on hollyday” I doubt anyone would be confused but that is no excuse for abandoning convention.
Webb quotes many other people who have doubted the value of apostrophes. Again, so what? I approve of apostrophes and, in the absence of law, that is really all that matters!
I should add that if Webb or anyone else misuses apostrophes, it doesn’t denote stupidity — merely lack of knowledge, or a personal choice.
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Post by Dave Miller on Dec 2, 2019 15:25:39 GMT
What should one say? I don’t know. But I say, “Good for John Richards.” Not only has h achivd a grand old ag but h has gnratd widr intrst in apostroph us and has providd a point of plasur for many popl (or prsons). Notwithstanding that I often disagrd with his viws and, in rcnt yars, sldom visitd his forum, I will miss knowing that his wbsit is out thr campaigning for something worthwhil — in a similar way that I miss th xistnc of an xtinct spcis of animal that I hav nvr sn.
I find no genuine ambiguities or harmful confusion there - so shall we get rid of the letter “e”?
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Post by Little Jack Horner on Dec 2, 2019 20:33:16 GMT
I don’t know where I found this:
Aoccdrnig to a sutdy at a Lodnon Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatrnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit mcuh porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
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Post by Verbivore on Dec 2, 2019 20:55:30 GMT
[...] The ABC article references the views of Tiger Webb. In his article, Webb mentions, apparently with approval, the comment of Denison that "Genuine ambiguities caused by omission or misuse of the apostrophe are very infrequent indeed” and Pullum’s that “the level of harmful confusion attendant on dropping all apostrophes from written English would be zero". [...] I should add that if Webb or anyone else misuses apostrophes, it doesn’t denote stupidity — merely lack of knowledge, or a personal choice. Webb appears to be the reason behind Aunty ABC's descent into orthographic mayhem where almost anything goes; he was preceded by a traditional stylemeister with whom I had occasional discussions on Aunty's oddities. I know TW personally and have given up debating with him. He finds my notions of good English to be "fossilised" (his term) and is the antithesis if JR. He's welcome to his views, but that won't stop my intransigence.
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Post by Paul Doherty on Dec 3, 2019 0:58:03 GMT
I don’t know where I found this: Aoccdrnig to a sutdy at a Lodnon Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatrnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit mcuh porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Urban myth, I'm afraid: www.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/people/matt.davis/cmabridge/
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Post by Little Jack Horner on Dec 3, 2019 1:04:33 GMT
I know it is an urban myth but it illustrates an interesting curiosity. The myth quotes various universities.
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Post by Paul Doherty on Dec 3, 2019 1:05:51 GMT
Fair enough.
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Post by Verbivore on Dec 3, 2019 6:57:44 GMT
Macquarie Dictionary Word of the YearIt’s apparent that I’m way behind the times: although I was aware of the CC trend, I didn’t know it had developed its own moniker. Am I impressed? Nah – too social-media trendy for this codger.
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Post by Paul Doherty on Dec 3, 2019 12:33:28 GMT
Maybe it's age or because I'm not in Australia, but I was unaware of all of those!
Phrase of the year for us Brits has to be "on the table". Seems that everything is either on the table, not on the table, or off the table.
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Post by Little Jack Horner on Dec 3, 2019 13:26:35 GMT
Dear me! Oz must be a different place — or I am more out of touch with the world than I knew. Of all 75 words on the short list, I had heard of only three: screen time, quiet room, and walking football. The odd thing is not that I had never heard of the rest (that is to be expected) but that the three of which I had heard are long established in the UK, walking football even has a national association.
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