Re: Why does the meaning (and spelling) of words change?

--- Michael Poxon <m.poxon@...> wrote:

<snip>

>I rather guess that this might be a
> clue as to why you found
> so many instances of "computer programme" - either
> as an (incorrect)
> reaction by some militant Brit to what he perceived
> as Americanisation of
> the language, or possibly as simply a substring
> within the phrase "computer
> programmer". Try putting in the search string
> "computer programme " - note
> the space at the end.
If this were the work of a single person, or a hundred
people, I might agree with tour "militant Brit"
theory.  However, the phrase is ubiquitous on the
Internet, and the contexts clearly show that it is not
a substring of "progrmmer":

"... pedagogical strategies in place and the computer
programme being developed ..."
"... the author of a computer programme is the natural
or legal person ..."
"... copyright in an original computer programme is
protected ..."
"... It defines "computer programme" as a set of
instructions expressed in words codes ..."
"... representations of a computer programme. Ideas
and basic ..."
"... My theory is that our entire universe is a
computer programme, running on an alien species
computer ..."
"... any computer programme, data or information in
that computer ..."

Try the search yourself.  If usage is the final
authority then "computer programme" is correct.

--gary

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