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Discussion Groups / English Usage / March 2010Oldest example of written English discovered in church
The headline attracted my interest because I thought they must have found something earlier than the eighth-century Ruthwell Cross. For readers of this group, perhaps the most interesting thing about this story is the statement that the text was written "half a millennia ago". http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/7345039/Oldest-example-of-written-English -discovered-in-church.html  SignatureJames > The headline attracted my interest because I thought they must have > found something earlier than the eighth-century Ruthwell Cross. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > story is the statement that the text was written "half a millennia > ago". "Half a millennium" would have been more appropriate. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/7345039/Oldest-example-of-written-English -discovered-in-church.html > "James Hogg" <Jas.Hogg@gOUTmail.com> wrote in message >> [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > "Half a millennium" would have been more appropriate. Er, Claude... SignatureMike. >The headline attracted my interest because I thought they must have >found something earlier than the eighth-century Ruthwell Cross. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/7345039/Oldest-example-of-written-Englis >h-discovered-in-church.html How close is this church to Piltdown? >>The headline attracted my interest because I thought they must have >>found something earlier than the eighth-century Ruthwell Cross. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > >How close is this church to Piltdown? You suspect skullduggery? SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) Peter Duncanson wrote: >>>The headline attracted my interest because I thought they must have >>>found something earlier than the eighth-century Ruthwell Cross. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > >You suspect skullduggery? Put it this way, I won't be surprised if the genuineness falls under suspicion. I recall back when I was studying anthropology, one of my professors explaining why the Piltdown man was such a clever hoax. The reason was that parts that would definitely determine authenticity were never found. There are lots of missing parts in the church, too. This similarity caught my attention. > The headline attracted my interest because I thought they must have > found something earlier than the eighth-century Ruthwell Cross. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/7345039/Oldest-example-of-written-Engli > sh-discovered-in-church.html They are obviously using a fairly modern definition of "English". We have older written sources than that for Anglo-Saxon/Old English. And the lettering is later by far than Alfred's time. SignatureErilar, biblioholic medievalist http://www.mosaictelecom.com/~erilarlo >> The headline attracted my interest because I thought they must have >> found something earlier than the eighth-century Ruthwell Cross. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > have older written sources than that for Anglo-Saxon/Old English. And > the lettering is later by far than Alfred's time. The claim is that it's "the first example of English *written in a church context*", which is why I mentioned the Ruthwell Cross. SignatureJames > >> The headline attracted my interest because I thought they must have > >> found something earlier than the eighth-century Ruthwell Cross. > >> > >> For readers of this group, perhaps the most interesting thing about this > >> story is the statement that the text was written "half a millennia ago". http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/7345039/Oldest-example-of-written -English-discovered-in-church.html > > They are obviously using a fairly modern definition of "English". We > > have older written sources than that for Anglo-Saxon/Old English. And > > the lettering is later by far than Alfred's time. > > The claim is that it's "the first example of English *written in a > church context*", which is why I mentioned the Ruthwell Cross. So the Telegraph headline, as well as our Subject line, should not be Oldest example of written English discovered in church but Oldest example of English written in a church discovered ? SignatureBest -- Donna Richoux >>>> The headline attracted my interest because I thought they must have >>>> found something earlier than the eighth-century Ruthwell Cross. [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Oldest example of English written in a church discovered Well, it definitely needs some revision. SignatureJames >> >> The headline attracted my interest because I thought they must have >> >> found something earlier than the eighth-century Ruthwell Cross. [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > Oldest example of English written in a church discovered Well, if they say half a millennia, what do you expect, or has millennia become, like media, and phenomena, an acceptable singula? SignatureSteve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk >>> >> For readers of this group, perhaps the most interesting thing >>> >> about this [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > millennia > become, like media, and phenomena, an acceptable singula? I don't think phenomena or media have become accepted singulars. There are the pretentious, ignorant people who don't know the correct forms to use, of course, like the person who wrote the line. People are allowed to "get by" with marginal usage (such as good vocabulary, ineptly used), and, by repetition of errors, come to think their usage correct. I think "media" may often be used as a group noun, thus allowing it to be used singularly, as in "the print media is losing out to electronic media in the race to generate advertising revenue". The fact that there are varied styles of "print mediums" is undeniable...magazines, newspapers, brochures, house journals and the like. There is an extension from paper as a medium for bearing marks made through the medium of ink transferred to the paper by various pointed implements. Paper is not the only medium for carrying information. Clay is a medium for storing information. Slate is another medium. But ink is not the medium used to place the information on the receiving media in all cases. >> (Donna Richoux) wrote: >>>>>> For readers of this group, perhaps the most interesting thing >>>>>> about this story is the statement that the text was written "half a [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > ineptly used), and, by repetition of errors, come to think their usage > correct. [snip] A few days ago, I saw in the local paper's sports pages something like this: "... the crew of Atlanta-area alumna ...". I questioned the writer of the column, and he responded that he had written "... the crew of Atlanta-area alum ...", and the copy editor had changed it. The blind leading the blind ... The same writer/copy editor team has passed the "... whom they said was to be traded ..." type of errors. SignatureSkitt (AmE) >A few days ago, I saw in the local paper's sports pages something like this: >"... the crew of Atlanta-area alumna ...". The magazine of my alma mater arrived a couple of days ago, and its usage appears to be: alumnus - male former student alumna - female former student alumni - former students of both sexes SignatureSteve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk >>A few days ago, I saw in the local paper's sports pages something like this: >>"... the crew of Atlanta-area alumna ...". > The magazine of my alma mater arrived a couple of days ago, and its usage > appears to be: > alumnus - male former student > alumna - female former student > alumni - former students of both sexes Hard to argue with that, isn't it? I mean, I think holding on to 'alumna' in this day in age is asinine, but that's maybe just me. After all, I refer to all actor as actors and don't much use the, to my ears, old-fashioned and sexist 'actress'. SignatureI WILL NOT SNAP BRAS Bart chalkboard Ep. 8F22 [...] a vital ingredient of success is not knowing that what you're attempting can't be done. A person ignorant of the possibility of failure can be a half-brick in the path of the bicycle of history. --Equal Rites >>>A few days ago, I saw in the local paper's sports pages something like this: >>>"... the crew of Atlanta-area alumna ...". [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >all, I refer to all actor as actors and don't much use the, to my ears, >old-fashioned and sexist 'actress'. But was "actor" ever gendered? I once had to edit a study guide in Temporal Andragogics. That was because the Faculty of Education believed that "History of Adult Education" didn't sound "scientific" enough. One of my grounds for objecting to it was that it was sexist, in that it dealt only with male sublunary leading up the garden path. SignatureSteve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk >>Hard to argue with that, isn't it? I mean, I think holding on to >>'alumna' in this day in age is asinine, but that's maybe just >>me. After all, I refer to all actor as actors and don't much use >>the, to my ears, old-fashioned and sexist 'actress'. > > But was "actor" ever gendered? I first see "she is/was an actor" in 1822, but I don't see it used with respect to being a performer until 1888, whereas "she is an actress" shows up in that sense in 1753 (and in other senses in 1726). So it looks as though there was a sex split for quite a while. SignatureEvan Kirshenbaum +------------------------------------ HP Laboratories |Specifically, I'd like to debate 1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 1141 |whether cannibalism ought to be Palo Alto, CA 94304 |grounds for leniency in murder, |since it's less wasteful. kirshenbaum@hpl.hp.com | Calvin (650)857-7572 http://www.kirshenbaum.net/ Evan wrote on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:48:37 -0700: >>> Hard to argue with that, isn't it? I mean, I think holding >>> on to 'alumna' in this day in age is asinine, but that's [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >> >> But was "actor" ever gendered? > I first see "she is/was an actor" in 1822, but I don't see it > used with respect to being a performer until 1888, whereas > "she is an actress" shows up in that sense in 1753 (and in > other senses in 1726). So it looks as though there was a sex > split for quite a while. True enough but, like many others, I think it is time for "actor" to encompass both male and female. Another word in the same category is "waiter". I do use it without any gender specification and it beats the horrible "waitstaff". SignatureJames Silverton Potomac, Maryland Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not > Evan wrote on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:48:37 -0700: > [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > "waiter". I do use it without any gender specification and it beats the > horrible "waitstaff". The problem being that some people are going to think you're one of the people who uses generic "he" for all people. SignatureRob Bannister Robert wrote on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:17:14 +0800: >> Evan wrote on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:48:37 -0700: >> [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > The problem being that some people are going to think you're > one of the people who uses generic "he" for all people. For several years, I have followed the method of "The Times" of London and used the plural for all third person references. SignatureJames Silverton Potomac, Maryland Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not > Evan wrote on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:48:37 -0700: > [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > True enough but, like many others, I think it is time for "actor" to > encompass both male and female. Oh, I agree. I was addressing the "Was it ever?" question. > Another word in the same category is "waiter". I do use it without > any gender specification and it beats the horrible "waitstaff". The neutral word around here seems to be "server". "Waitstaff" sounds as though it describes the entire corps. SignatureEvan Kirshenbaum +------------------------------------ HP Laboratories |It is error alone which needs the 1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 1141 |support of government. Truth can Palo Alto, CA 94304 |stand by itself. | Thomas Jefferson kirshenbaum@hpl.hp.com (650)857-7572 http://www.kirshenbaum.net/ Evan wrote on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:36:02 -0700: >> Evan wrote on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:48:37 -0700: >> [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] >> True enough but, like many others, I think it is time for >> "actor" to encompass both male and female. > Oh, I agree. I was addressing the "Was it ever?" question. >> Another word in the same category is "waiter". I do use it >> without any gender specification and it beats the horrible >> "waitstaff". > The neutral word around here seems to be "server". > "Waitstaff" sounds as though it describes the entire corps. Interesting, do you actually call a waiter by using the word "server" or simply rely on hand signals? SignatureJames Silverton Potomac, Maryland Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not > Evan wrote on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:36:02 -0700: > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Interesting, do you actually call a waiter by using the word > "server" or simply rely on hand signals? Typically eye contact and hand signals. But if I need to ask somebody else to send them over, I suspect that I'd say "our server" about as often as "our waiter/waitress" (and I would still make the distinction there). Ditto when talking about them at the table ("Our server hasn't been around in a while, has he?"). SignatureEvan Kirshenbaum +------------------------------------ HP Laboratories |Any programming problem can be 1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 1141 |solved by adding another layer of Palo Alto, CA 94304 |indirection. Any performance |problem can be solved by removing kirshenbaum@hpl.hp.com |one. (650)857-7572 http://www.kirshenbaum.net/ >True enough but, like many others, I think it is time for "actor" to >encompass both male and female. Another word in the same category is >"waiter". I do use it without any gender specification and it beats the >horrible "waitstaff". Or "waitron", popular here, and quite definitely neuter. SignatureSteve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk >> True enough but, like many others, I think it is time for "actor" to >> encompass both male and female. Another word in the same category is >> "waiter". I do use it without any gender specification and it beats the >> horrible "waitstaff". > > Or "waitron", popular here, and quite definitely neuter. And here was I thinking that "waitron" was a joke. SignaturePeter Moylan, Newcastle, NSW, Australia. http://www.pmoylan.org For an e-mail address, see my web page. >>> True enough but, like many others, I think it is time for "actor" to >>> encompass both male and female. Another word in the same category is [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >> >And here was I thinking that "waitron" was a joke. You can think all kinds of things are jokes, until you find someone who takes them seriously. SignatureSteve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk > Peter Moylan wrote: >>>> True enough but, like many others, I think it is time for "actor" >>>> to encompass both male and female. Another word in the same [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > You can think all kinds of things are jokes, until you find someone > who takes them seriously. Strangely, that made me think of religion. SignatureSkitt (AmE) >> Peter Moylan wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > >Strangely, that made me think of religion. It was what I had in mind. I once wrote a spoof article with the title "Towards a circumference-centred theology" and discovered three months later that someone had beaten me to it, and published something on it in all seriousness. SignatureSteve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk >> Peter Moylan wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > >Strangely, that made me think of religion. "Tonight, your waitron will be this invisible pink unicorn. Enjoy!" SignatureRobin (BrE) Herts, England >>>>>> True enough but, like many others, I think it is time for >>>>>> "actor" to encompass both male and female. Another word in the [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > "Tonight, your waitron will be this invisible pink unicorn. Enjoy!" I'll have the spaghetti, please. CDB filted: >>>>> And here was I thinking that "waitron" was a joke. >>>> [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >> >I'll have the spaghetti, please. Flying or earthbound?...r Signature"Oy! A cat made of lead cannot fly." - Mark Brader declaims a basic scientific principle > CDB filted: > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Flying or earthbound?...r The "padrone", with a side of "giovene". Right? >>>>> True enough but, like many others, I think it is time for "actor" >>>>> to encompass both male and female. Another word in the same [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Strangely, that made me think of religion. It was "server" than made me think of Catholic churches. SignatureRob Bannister >>> True enough but, like many others, I think it is time for "actor" to >>> encompass both male and female. Another word in the same category is [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >> > And here was I thinking that "waitron" was a joke. I thought it was one of them there particles. SignatureRob Bannister > Evan wrote on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:48:37 -0700: >>>> Hard to argue with that, isn't it? I mean, I think holding >>>> on to 'alumna' in this day in age is asinine, but that's [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >>> >>> But was "actor" ever gendered? >> I first see "she is/was an actor" in 1822, but I don't see it >> used with respect to being a performer until 1888, whereas >> "she is an actress" shows up in that sense in 1753 (and in >> other senses in 1726). So it looks as though there was a sex >> split for quite a while. > True enough but, like many others, I think it is time for "actor" to > encompass both male and female. Another word in the same category is > "waiter". I do use it without any gender specification and it beats the > horrible "waitstaff". I like "waitron" Probably because it reminds me of the movie Tron. SignatureBishops move diagonally. That's why they often turn up where the kings don't expect them to be. >The magazine of my alma mater arrived a couple of days ago, and its usage >appears to be: > >alumnus - male former student >alumna - female former student >alumni - former students of both sexes An all-women's college here would use the feminine plural "alumnae". However, there aren't that many left -- many former all-women's schools have either gone coed (like Vassar, where a co-worker of mine went) or merged with their coordinate all-men's schools (like Radcliffe, which merged with Harvard but was subsequently recycled as the name for something else in the associated university). In the case of the few "coordinate colleges" still remaining, both terms are used -- Hobart has alumni, and William Smith has alumnae. (Note that William Smith College, in Geneva, New York, is distinct from Smith College, in Northampton, Massachusetts. Smith is one of the Seven Sisters, a notable grouping of women's colleges which also included Radcliffe and Vassar; the others, which are still women's colleges, are Mount Holyoke, Wellesley, Bryn Mawr, and Barnard -- the last is coordinate to Columbia.) -GAWollman SignatureGarrett A. Wollman | What intellectual phenomenon can be older, or more oft wollman@bimajority.org| repeated, than the story of a large research program Opinions not shared by| that impaled itself upon a false central assumption my employers. | accepted by all practitioners? - S.J. Gould, 1993 >>The magazine of my alma mater arrived a couple of days ago, and its usage >>appears to be: >> >>alumnus - male former student >>alumna - female former student >>alumni - former students of both sexes > An all-women's college here would use the feminine plural "alumnae". > However, there aren't that many left -- many former all-women's [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > are Mount Holyoke, Wellesley, Bryn Mawr, and Barnard -- the last is > coordinate to Columbia.) My mother went to one of those, and my step mother went to another one. Bryn Mawr and Wellesley, respectively. I think. Is it bad that I'm not positive which went to which? Signaturesometimes ascii is the best use of bandwidth... Tonya Engst "The good news: Hadron Collider went live and did not destroy ALL reality. Bad: I'm the only one who remembers President Gore's 2 terms." -- Andy Ihnatko > An all-women's college here would use the feminine plural "alumnae". > However, there aren't that many left -- many former all-women's > schools have either gone coed (like Vassar, where a co-worker of mine > went) or merged with their coordinate all-men's schools I doubt Vassar will be respelling the name of its Alumnae House anytime soon, though. ¬R > "Skitt" wrote: >> A few days ago, I saw in the local paper's sports pages something >> like this: "... the crew of Atlanta-area alumna ...". [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > alumna - female former student > alumni - former students of both sexes alumni can be also only male former students alumnae - female former students Not unheard of is also "alum" [pl. "alums"]. Good for both sexes. SignatureSkitt (AmE) Skitt wrote on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:01:14 -0800: >>> A few days ago, I saw in the local paper's sports pages >>> something like this: "... the crew of Atlanta-area alumna ...". [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >> alumna - female former student >> alumni - former students of both sexes > alumni can be also only male former students > alumnae - female former students Which plural do you propose for a group of former students of both sexes? Anyway, alumnae and alumni seem to be pronounced the same around here. SignatureJames Silverton Potomac, Maryland Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not >>>> A few days ago, I saw in the local paper's sports pages >>>> something like this: "... the crew of Atlanta-area alumna ...". [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > Which plural do you propose for a group of former students of both > sexes? Alumni. > Anyway, alumnae and alumni seem to be pronounced the same > around here. Lots of words are that way, innit? SignatureSkitt (AmE) > Anyway, alumnae and alumni seem to be pronounced the same around > here. Around here, they're /@'l@mneI/ and /@'l@mnaI/. But mostly it's "alum" in the singular and "alumni" in the plural regardless of sex. SignatureEvan Kirshenbaum +------------------------------------ HP Laboratories |If we have to re-invent the wheel, 1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 1141 |can we at least make it round this Palo Alto, CA 94304 |time? kirshenbaum@hpl.hp.com (650)857-7572 http://www.kirshenbaum.net/ >Not unheard of is also "alum" [pl. "alums"]. Good for both sexes. Sounds insulting... implies that people don't think, but flocculate, SignatureSteve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk >>Not unheard of is also "alum" [pl. "alums"]. Good for both sexes. > >Sounds insulting... implies that people don't think, but flocculate, a-LUM, not AL-um. -GAWollman SignatureGarrett A. Wollman | What intellectual phenomenon can be older, or more oft wollman@bimajority.org| repeated, than the story of a large research program Opinions not shared by| that impaled itself upon a false central assumption my employers. | accepted by all practitioners? - S.J. Gould, 1993 > Well, if they say half a millennia, what do you expect, or has millennia > become, like media, and phenomena, an acceptable singula? I wouldn't think so. In fact, I think that media is only accpetable as a singualr in the very specific case of referring to The Media. I'd disagree that phenomena (or millenia) is ever acceptable as a singular. SignatureA: You're wrong Q: I've never found that to be true A: Because it make following messages more difficult Q: Why is top-posting evil? Happy Jack wasn't tall, but he was a man Lewis filted: >> Well, if they say half a millennia, what do you expect, or has millennia >> become, like media, and phenomena, an acceptable singula? > >I wouldn't think so. In fact, I think that media is only accpetable as a >singualr in the very specific case of referring to The Media. I'd >disagree that phenomena (or millenia) is ever acceptable as a singular. Millenia is acceptable as a singular when it refers to a Mazda automobile....r Signature"Oy! A cat made of lead cannot fly." - Mark Brader declaims a basic scientific principle >> Well, if they say half a millennia, what do you expect, or has millennia >> become, like media, and phenomena, an acceptable singula? > >I wouldn't think so. In fact, I think that media is only accpetable as a >singualr in the very specific case of referring to The Media. I'd >disagree that phenomena (or millenia) is ever acceptable as a singular. I still say "the media are" when referring to "The Media". SignatureSteve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/stevesig.htm Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk >>> Well, if they say half a millennia, what do you expect, or has millennia >>> become, like media, and phenomena, an acceptable singula? >> >>I wouldn't think so. In fact, I think that media is only accpetable as a >>singualr in the very specific case of referring to The Media. I'd >>disagree that phenomena (or millenia) is ever acceptable as a singular. > I still say "the media are" when referring to "The Media". Yes, buit I would argue that most people do not. As a singular it has certainly entered the vernacular, and I think it is even acceptable in the specific case of talking about The Media. SignatureIt's against my programming to impersonate a deity. Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici > Well, if they say half a millennia, what do you expect, or has millennia > become, like media, and phenomena, an acceptable singula? Not yet. The criteria is whether a lot of people have started using it as a singulum. SignaturePeter Moylan, Newcastle, NSW, Australia. http://www.pmoylan.org For an e-mail address, see my web page. >> Well, if they say half a millennia, what do you expect, or has >> millennia become, like media, and phenomena, an acceptable singula? >> > Not yet. The criteria is whether a lot of people have started using it > as a singulum. How would that work? A singulum is just what you don't need: http://www.singulum.com/index.php (warning: very flashy) or http://www.singulum.com/images/stories/Frontpage/singulum1.002.png (picture only). SignatureRegards John for mail: my initials plus a u e at tpg dot com dot au >>> Well, if they say half a millennia, what do you expect, or has >>> millennia become, like media, and phenomena, an acceptable singula? [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > http://www.singulum.com/images/stories/Frontpage/singulum1.002.png > (picture only). Just yesterday one of our local paper's newswriters used "criteria" for the singular. He also split "oftentimes" into two words in the same sentence. The copy editor was asleep, I suppose. SignatureSkitt (AmE) Things aren't the way they used to be. >Just yesterday one of our local paper's newswriters used "criteria" for the >singular. He also split "oftentimes" into two words in the same sentence. >The copy editor was asleep, I suppose. Assuming your local paper still has one. That's not always a given, these days. -GAWollman SignatureGarrett A. Wollman | What intellectual phenomenon can be older, or more oft wollman@bimajority.org| repeated, than the story of a large research program Opinions not shared by| that impaled itself upon a false central assumption my employers. | accepted by all practitioners? - S.J. Gould, 1993 >>> Well, if they say half a millennia, what do you expect, or has >>> millennia become, like media, and phenomena, an acceptable singula? [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > http://www.singulum.com/images/stories/Frontpage/singulum1.002.png > (picture only). God-awful. I saw one of those wooden computers once, and it was markedly, but in no wise entertainingly, vulgar. SignatureMike. >>> The headline attracted my interest because I thought they must have >>> found something earlier than the eighth-century Ruthwell Cross. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >> have older written sources than that for Anglo-Saxon/Old English. And >> the lettering is later by far than Alfred's time. > The claim is that it's "the first example of English *written in a > church context*", which is why I mentioned the Ruthwell Cross. The article is very badly written, even if one excuses 'half a millenia' which, really, one should not. SignatureIt was where the city kept all those things it occasionally needed but was uneasy about, like the Watch-house, the theatres, the prison and the publishers. It was the place for all those things which might go off bang in unexpected ways. --Maskerade I want a refund, I want a light, I want a reason for all this night after night after night after night >>>> For readers of this group, perhaps the most interesting thing about this >>>> story is the statement that the text was written "half a millennia ago". Well, at least they didn't say "half a millenia". (By the way, I was already intending to post that comment before I started reading followups.) > The article is very badly written, even if one excuses 'half a millenia' > which, really, one should not. Okay, I won't. SignatureMark Brader "People with whole brains, however, dispute Toronto this claim, and are generally more articulate msb@vex.net in expressing their views." -- Gary Larson |
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