Re: punctuated abbreviations // was english spelling reform

En réponse à Yoon Ha Lee <yl112@...>:

>
> (Hey, it's not my fault the convention doesn't accommodate
> independent-minded women *or* Koreans.)
>
Or cases when the man takes the name of the wife! :)) Vey rare in Western
countries I know, but in France for instance it's an official possibility
(actually, in France you don't "take" the name of your husband or wife, but get
a right of use of their name. But you always keep your original name. That's by
law. The practice is unfortunately quite different). It actually comes from one
couple, who really wanted the name of the woman to stay in the line (at a time
when the wife taking the name of her husband was mandatory). The fame of the
name and its bearers made that the law was adapted quite quickly. The name was
Curie, the woman was Irène Curie, daughter of Pierre and Marie Curie, and the
husband, Frédéric Joliot, was more than willing to wear such a famous
name :)) . That's why when they married, the became known as Frédéric and Irène
Joliot-Curie (the time was not ready to abandon completely the husband's name
yet ;)) ).

This situation makes all the conventions about the use of Mr. and Mrs. walking
on their head :)) .

>
> I like common sense, honesty and decency.  This makes me forever
> ineligible for public office.--H.L. Mencken
>
You know that this citation fits perfectly the current political situation in
the Netherlands?! :)) And the name "Mencken" could be a Dutch name (I asked my
friend, but although he does know a "Mencken", he's not sure it's this one).

Christophe.

http://rainbow.conlang.free.fr

Take your life as a movie: do not let anybody else play the leading role.

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