Re: Umlauts (was Re: Elves and Ill Bethisad)

--- Nik Taylor <yonjuuni@...> wrote:

> Costentin Cornomorus wrote:
> > Sure. But they're not using French. They're
> > using English.
>
> Yes, but the trema isn't English.  :-)
Neither is the alphabet we're using to write the
word. Point is, when once it's borrowed (taken,
actually) it's ours to do with as we please.

> If you're going to nativize the
> word, which I have no objection to, you do it
> by dropping the diacritic,
> not by placing it at random!
Placing it at random may well signal a transitory
period. The time between "correct" usage and
dropping it entirely.

> Either nativize it as Noel, or spell it in
> the proper French way.
Or whatever...

Unfortunately for the prescriptive "side",
language users don't often do it right!

[I still prefer the Native form, Nowel. And for
what it may be worth, I don't put an umlaut on
Noel either.]

Padraic.



=====
- Nos côsez yen fin xristianós et trancouil

- Côsez-el a Ddon!

--

Ill Bethisad --
<http://www.geocities.com/elemtilas/ill_bethisad>


Come visit The World! --
<http://www.geocities.com/hawessos/>







.

Reply