Re: USAGE: Verse, was: Re: Thorn vs Eth

> > Roger Rote;
> > Presumably, "verse" < versus, though how or why GOK.
> Mike Mentioned;
> Because |versus| (with the Latin |-us| ending) is in some idiolects
> homophonous to (or at least misheard as) *|verses| (with the English
> verbal |-s| /z/ ending).

Barbara babbles;
Indeed 'tis so. In Northern Ireland the coloquial solution was to take
the poster abreviation "Vs" and voice it! If one actually said "versus"
some wag would quip "It's a poetry comp' then? ha ha". It had its own
grammar too; future tense "The next match is Glentorn Vee Rangers",
present tense "Today Glentorn Veez Rangers", past tense "Did you see
Glentorn Vee Rangers?".
Although SkyTV might change all that, nealy all big matches (paticulary
boxing) are on their pay-per-view, and Sky anouncers say "verses".

Baebara.