Wordplay, Take Two

[TGTheodore]

Was working on a website and saw the following word: "dietitian". For over 40 years I've always spelled it "dietician", as did magzines and newspapers back in the 70's and 80's.

This newer version just really looks wrong to me, especially with "tit" in the middle of it.

Now, both spellings are acceptable but when did the "C" get replaced with a "T"?

Here are some fun little questions about spelling and pronunciation. Since I think I'm only allowed one poll questions per thread, I'll just stick them all here in the body of the post.

1. How do YOU commonly spell the following word?
A. Dietitian
B. Dietician

2. Do you usually pronounce the first "L" in the word "invulnerable"?

3. When pronouncing "formidable", do you usually stress the first or second syllable?

4. Do you pronounce the "T" in either of the following words: "often" and "soften"?

5. When forming the possessive version of a word ending in "S", do you just add an apostrophe or an apostrophe and another "S"?

Feel free to comment on any weird American English things you want to.

Just curious ... and with way too much time on my hands this Monday morning.

--Ted

 

[Rii]

1. Dietician
2. Yes
3. Second syllable
4. No to both
5. Apostrophe only

 

[Pingfah]

Dietician.

Yes, I pronounce the first L in invulnerable.

ForMIDable.

I pronounce the "t" in often, but not soften.

I just add an apostrophe, not another "s" as well.

 

[trampledamage]

1 Dietician
2 yes
3 the second
4 no
5 apostrophe and another s. I would only not add the other 's' for a word that was already a plural, but if it's just a word that ends in s, you get the extra s.

(for the record, my language is British English )

 

[RoJoHen]

1. How do YOU commonly spell the following word?
A. Dietitian
B. Dietician

I don't, but if I did, I would go with option B. However, this is one of those words that looks wrong to me both ways.

2. Do you usually pronounce the first "L" in the word "invulnerable"?

Yes.

3. When pronouncing "formidable", do you usually stress the first or second syllable?

The first syllable

4. Do you pronounce the "T" in either of the following words: "often" and "soften"?

Nope.

5. When forming the possessive version of a word ending in "S", do you just add an apostrophe or an apostrophe and another "S"?

If the subject is plural, I don't add another "S." If the subject is singular and just happens to end in "S," I may add another "S" depending on my mood. It would just depend on pronunciation:

This is Alexis' book. (pronouncing another S sounds awkward)

This is James's book. (not pronouncing another S makes the word sound incomplete).

 

[JonathonWally]

1. Dietician

2. Yes, I pronounce the L

3. FORMidable

4. OfTen, Soffen

5. Just the apostrophe.

 

[Rii]

Feel free to comment on any weird American English things you want to.

Down with -ize, -ise forever!

In most cases, words ending in -ize read like a marketing invention to make the word appeal to the "youth of today", like "skool" or something.

 

[RoJoHen]

Feel free to comment on any weird American English things you want to.

Down with -ize, -ise forever!

In most cases, words ending in -ize read like a marketing invention to make the word appeal to the "youth of today", like "skool" or something.

"S" was being used so much that "Z" felt left out.

 

[TGTheodore]

1. How do YOU commonly spell the following word?
A. Dietitian
B. Dietician

I don't, but if I did, I would go with option B. However, this is one of those words that looks wrong to me both ways.

I was thinking the same thing, even though I spell it with a "C".

Down with -ize, -ise forever!

So ... you'd prefer the spelling "downsise"?

--Ted

 

[Rii]

Down with -ize, -ise forever!

So ... you'd prefer the spelling "downsise"?

--Ted

Apples and oranges, -ize in most instances is a verb-forming suffix. That's not the case in "size".

 

[Geckothan]

1. Dietician
2. Yes
3. ForMIDable
4. Yes for "often", no for "soften".
5. I add an apostrophe and an "s" for singulars (but I don't pronounce the extra "s" on words that already end in "s", just write it), and just an apostrophe for plurals.

Being British, I tend to use British English, though I sometimes accidently use American English spellings when I type (though not when I write) because I'm exposed to them so much on the internet.

 

[Holdfast]

British English here, home counties pronounciation generally, with a few lazy exceptions.

Dietician
I'm lazy and skip the L in invulnerable
Second syllable stress in formidable
offen & soffen
apostrophe only for the possessive in words already ending in an s.

 

[Middle Earther]

Dietician
I pronounce that L!
"T" is silent in "often", although I live in Western Canada and they usually pronounce it. (I grew up near Philadelphia.)
I think you're supposed to add the apostrophe with "S" unless it is an ancient name, like Moses'. I read that somewhere - please don't ask me where!

I thought I'd include this link , which is an online Canadian spelling dictionary. I used it a lot when I first moved here. What's neat is it illustrates the differences between British, American and Canadian spellings. It also includes French and Spanish in the chart too see some influences. I could spend all day perusing it!

 

[backstept]

strength

I've heard it pronounced strenf or strenth

 

[trampledamage]

I thought I'd include this link , which is an online Canadian spelling dictionary. I used it a lot when I first moved here. What's neat is it illustrates the differences between British, American and Canadian spellings. It also includes French and Spanish in the chart too see some influences. I could spend all day perusing it!

Neat, thanks! That'll come in handy.

 

[ManOnTheWave]

1. Dietician. Dietitian looks like the name of a painter. With weight issues.

2. Yes.

3. Either. Saying forMIDable is more common to the area though.

4. 'Fraid not.

5. That really just depends on my mood. Though if I end a word with an apostrophe, more often than not someone will "correct" me.

 

[Major Chord]

1)Both look funny, but I'd go with B. I hardly ever use the word anyway.

2) No

3)First syllable

4) I never pronounce soften with a 't' although often can be either or for me. Depends on what mood I'm in, I guess.

5) If the word ending in s is plural, then I add only the apostrophe. If it's singular, the 's gets added.

Apostrophes are the point of contention with my nitpick about the english language. On the internet, I often see people using " 's " to signify a plural. I hate reading things like "I bought the pizza's, or "I have two dog's". It bugs me to no end...and it's starting to move into normal writing as well. The abundance of people using it and other internet/text slang like lol and omg or w/, or b/c in English essays is astounding!

 

[Commander Rabbit]

Dietician. Never even seen it w/ a second T.
Of course.
First.
I don't think so.
Just the apostrophe.

My own quirk is that I write judgement, instead of judgment. In grad school, a professor wrote in the margin of a paper in which I had used the word, "I didn't know you went to school in England!"

 

[RJDiogenes]

1. Dietician (spellcheck disagrees, though; but then, spellcheck disagrees with spellcheck).

2. I do pronounce the "L" in "invulnerable."

3. Third syllable. Formi-DAH-bleah. No, the second really.

4. I do not pronounce the "T" in "often" or "soften."

5. Depends on how long the word is.

 

[M'Sharak]

1. How do YOU commonly spell the following word?
A. Dietitian
B. Dietician

Dietician

2. Do you usually pronounce the first "L" in the word "invulnerable"?

Always.

3. When pronouncing "formidable", do you usually stress the first or second syllable?

The first.

4. Do you pronounce the "T" in either of the following words: "often" and "soften"?

No.

5. When forming the possessive version of a word ending in "S", do you just add an apostrophe or an apostrophe and another "S"?

Just the apostrophe.

Edit:

Apostrophes are the point of contention with my nitpick about the english language. On the internet, I often see people using " 's " to signify a plural. I hate reading things like "I bought the pizza's, or "I have two dog's". It bugs me to no end...and it's starting to move into normal writing as well. The abundance of people using it and other internet/text slang like lol and omg or w/, or b/c in English essays is astounding!

Use of apostrophe-S to indicate a plural has been a common error since long before the internet or home computers came along.