Variations of British spellings 1 29 While the -our words are always seen in British spelling, the Oxford dictionary does not follow the method of Stormonth, who changes many verbs ending in -ize to -ise, as in civilise, realise, utilise. 1 The u is frequently omitted when the termination -ous is added to any of the -our words, as in clamorous, dolorous, humorous, laborious, odorous, rancorous, rigorous, valorous, vaporous, vigorous. In many words derived from nouns ending in -our the u is omitted, as in armory, colorable, honorary, invigorate, invigoration. There are a few English authors of authority who prefer clamor, pallor, and tremor, but English usage is largely in favor of the retention of the u. Saviour, as the synonym of Christ, retains the u in all dictionaries but that of Webster. surprise "Aiming to write according to the best usage of the present day, I insert the u in so many of these words as now seem most familiar to the eye when so written. If this book should ever, by any good fortune, happen to be reprinted, after honour, labour, favour, behaviour, and endeavour shall have become as unfashionable as authour, errour, terrour, and emperour are now, let the proofreader strike out the useless letter not only from these words, but from all others which shall bear an equally antiquated appearance." Goold Brown's Grammar of English Grammars, p. 197. Reformed spelling 31 In the New English (Oxford) Dictionary all the words that end in -ment retain the e in the preceding syllable, as abridgement, acknowledgement, judgement. In other English and in all American dictionaries the e is dropped. Farther is generally restricted to distance: as, "thus far, and no farther," or "farther down the river," etc. Further is equivalent to additional, besides, moreover: as, "I have no further use for him," "further consideration of the matter." Reformed spelling, so called, is seldom presented in copy, but when so used by a writer it may be queried by the compositor: if he finds in his copy hav for have, thru for through, fonografy for phonography, and other spellings of like nature, shall he spell the words as written? When the writer of these spellings orders and pays for the printing, his spelling must be followed without question; but when this reformed spelling appears in a contribution to a periodical, and the printing is done at the expense of the publisher, that publisher or his editor has the right to determine the spelling. This determination should be 1 The American Philological Association has published (in Transactions, 1886, and in the periodical Spelling of 1887) a list of amended spellings. This list is reprinted, with some slight corrections, in the Century dictionary (vol. viii). 32 Illiterate spelling made before the copy goes to the compositor, and should be expressed in writing on the first page. ILLITERATE SPELLING It is difficult to draw the line and say when copy should, and when it should not, be faithfully followed. Properly considered, it is an act of kindness when the compositor throws a mantle of correct composition over a writer's indecent exposure of his bad spelling and writing, but he always does it at a risk. As a rule, the ignorant writer is tenacious about his spelling and expression of thought. Editors of newspapers frequently take malicious pleasure in printing a fault-finding communication exactly as it was written, and always to the writer's mortification. There are sent to newspapers communications of such delightful absurdity that it seems unwise and really foolish to attempt betterments that destroy their peculiarities.1 1 From Cornwall, England: "R. G, Surgin, Parish Clark and Skule-master, Groser and Hundertaker, respectably informs ladys and gentlemen that he drors teeth without wateing a minut, applies laches every hour, blisters on the lowest terms, and visicks for a penny apece. As times is crul bad I begs to tell 'ee that I have just beginned to sell all zorts of stationary ware, cox, hens, vowls, pigs and all other kinds of poultry. I as also laid in a large azzortment of trype, dog's mate, lolipops, ginger-beer and matches, and other pikkels, such as hepson salts, hoysters and winzer sope." a ABBREVIATIONS LIPPED WORDS are as old as writ ing. They were stamped on coins and medals and cut in stone or pressed on bricks long before Genesis was written. Medieval books are full of them. The practice began with the copyists who wished to put many words in a small space, as well as to lighten their own labor, but it was carried to such an extent that the books then made were hard to read,1 and scholars everywhere complained of their obscurity. Books had to be published to explain their intent. 1 Chevillier (l'Origine de l'imprimerie de Paris, etc., p. 111, 4to, Paris, 1595) specifies an edition of the Logic of Ockham, printed in that city in 1488, in which he found this mysterious statement. He says it was selected at hazard: Sic hic e fal sm qd ad simplr a e pducibile a Deo gae & silr hic a nega ne pducibile a Deo. These are the abbreviations for Sicut hic est fallacia secundum quid ad simpliciter. A est producibile à Deo. Ergo A est. Et similiter hic. A non est. Ergo A non est producibile à Deo. |