Deliberate mistakes

[An OtherParticipant @another21905]

I don't give a damn about what I call the american (wrong) way of spelling aluminium – it has always been aluminium to me, and it always will be aluminium. (I can't afford to make thing out of platinum or tantalum)

I'm more interested in what I can do with the stuff than how to spell it!

[MikeParticipant @mike89748]

To set matters straight, aluminium was discovered by Humphry Davy.

I quote Bill Bryson in his book "A Short History of Nearly Everything": The confusion over aluminium/aluminum arose because of some uncharacteristic indecisiveness on Davy's part. When he first isolated the element in 1808 he called it alumium. For some reason he thought the better of that and changed it to aluminum four years later. Americans dutifully adopted the new term, but many British users disliked aluminium, pointing out that it disrupted the ​-ium pattern established by sodium, calcium and strontium, so they added a vowel and a syllable.

So there you have it. and if you really want me to confuse you, I can start writing in the Doric, as spoken by the people (sorry, quines and loons) who are my neighbours!

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

Posted by Mike on 17/05/2016 15:57:03:

… but many British users disliked aluminium, pointing out that it disrupted the ​-ium pattern established by sodium, calcium and strontium, so they added a vowel and a syllable.

Mike,

I think your spell checker has got the better of you

But I'm sure what you meant to write is correct. Bryson's good , isn't he!

Rod

Edited By Roderick Jenkins on 17/05/2016 16:33:12

[MikeParticipant @mike89748]

Rod: You're quite right – I had a hell of a battle with the spell-checker, and it finally got the better of me! I don't know how to switch the ******* thing off!

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

After seven pages of grammar and semantics, we STILL have not discovered the mistake, (deliberate or otherwise).

Could it be the failures to obey health and Safety guidelines in operating a machine with unguarded gears and driving belt, or the lack of Safety Glasses (as opposed to wearing plain spectacles)?

It can't be that the chuck lacks the jaw lying in the chip tray?

Will someone, PLEASE, put us out of our misery, by telling the answer.

Howard

[MikeParticipant @mike89748]

Rod: Thanks again – due to your prompt I've managed to switch autocorrect off, after a 20-minute staring match with the wretched machine. Aluminum Aluminium. So there!

[clivelParticipant @clivel]

Posted by Howard Lewis on 17/05/2016 17:12:03:

After seven pages of grammar and semantics, we STILL have not discovered the mistake, (deliberate or otherwise).

……

Will someone, PLEASE, put us out of our misery, by telling the answer.

Howard

And Bubble has conveniently disappeared somewhere into the worldwide web laughing at just what a LARGE cat he has put amongst the pigeons.
Someone should find a great big pin to pop the little sadist.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I have taken the unusual step of emailing Jim to ask him to put you loons and quines out of your misery.

Neil

[Flying FiferParticipant @flyingfifer]

Will we ever get a SINGEL or MULTIPEL answer to this. Only the Ed knows !!

[MikeParticipant @mike89748]

Neil: Fit like, ma loon?

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Shwmae buttie!

[DodParticipant @dod]

Posted by Mike on 17/05/2016 20:04:13:

Neil: Fit like, ma loon?

The classic answer to that is "nae bad foos yersel"

Spel chekir disna like doric

Mike, in your part of the Moray coast they spik a version of Buckie fisher Gaelic not true doric but then we could stray on to the alumimum aluminium debate

[MikeParticipant @mike89748]

Dod, I am a newcomer in this part of the world, although I have lived here for 20 years. As a mere observer, it seems as if Doric changes almost from village to village as you move along the Moray Firth coast. The most entertaining speaker was a female colleague when I was editor of the local paper in Banff: I had just about learned to understand her when I retired after doing the job for six years!

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by SillyOldDuffer on 17/05/2016 10:42:20:…

…A friend went to school in the US. Aged 12 it was agreed that it was OK for her to stand facing the wall whilst the rest of the class swore allegiance to the flag, but her refusal to spell words like colour, theatre, and aluminium correctly was always punished.

On the subject of Aluminum, the spelling is consistent with Platinum and Tantalum. Does anyone know the origin of these variations?

Edit Fixed deliberate error.

Edited By SillyOldDuffer on 17/05/2016 10:45:13

Ironically though, the Seppos were right on some counts. ISTR that British English generally (but not always) used the Latin-derived -or and -er endings until Doc Johnson came along circa 1750 in his newfangled dictionary and started using the less common French derived -our and -re endings, just because he liked French.

On Aluminum, have the Americans come up with a way to chromum plate their aluminum? Or do they still rely on chromium?

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by Howard Lewis on 17/05/2016 17:12:03:

After seven pages of grammar and semantics, we STILL have not discovered the mistake, (deliberate or otherwise).

Could it be the failures to obey health and Safety guidelines in operating a machine with unguarded gears and driving belt, or the lack of Safety Glasses (as opposed to wearing plain spectacles)?

It can't be that the chuck lacks the jaw lying in the chip tray?

Will someone, PLEASE, put us out of our misery, by telling the answer.

Howard

I think we have gone from deliberate mistakes to mistaken deliberations!

BTW, don't you just hate the overuse of exclamation marks like that? Screamers, they are known as in some newspaper circles. (also as dog's dicks in others!)

[John McNamaraParticipant @johnmcnamara74883]

MisTakEs

I am an expert at PHD level.

Hopefully one day I will make less of them.

Regards
John

[Gordon WParticipant @gordonw]

I think a lot of Doric comes from the Hansa League traders ,who sailed up and down the east coast. Hence same or similar words in Yorkshire up to Wick. My wife spoke plat German when young and understands Doric better than me. I like the distinctions of " through ". Luckily they did not have aluminium in those days.

[Mick HenshallParticipant @mickhenshall99321]

Oohh!! Give me strength!! Is there a point to all this?

Mick

[ANDY CAWLEYParticipant @andycawley24921]

It's banter, dear boy, which by definition is good natured. Surely we are all of that persuasion😉

It's not badinage as that implies wit.

[Anders.BParticipant @anders-b]

The point is that there is no point, by the way am I allowed to be here if I would drink coffee and not tee?

Anders

[MikeParticipant @mike89748]

Mick: With respect, it proves that model engineers are not one-subject nerds, but intelligent people who enjoy discussions on a wide variety of subjects. And long may it continue……

[Roderick JenkinsParticipant @roderickjenkins93242]

Well said, Mike

Rod

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Anders.B on 18/05/2016 10:00:29:

The point is that there is no point, by the way am I allowed to be here if I would drink coffee and not tee?

Anders

Refusal to play golf is no reason to exclude people. But you will need to sup up your tea

Neil

[Mick HenshallParticipant @mickhenshall99321]

Ok fair enough

Mick

[Russell EberhardtParticipant @russelleberhardt48058]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 18/05/2016 11:53:04:But you will need to sup up your tea

Ah, but with milk first or last or perhaps gunpowder tea with no milk at all?

Russell.

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