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Discussion Groups / British English / March 2005Two questions
Anyone familiar with the phrase, "not (or naught) for nothing"? Is it true "naught" is sometimes spelled differently in England (nought, or nowt)? At 14:03:21 on Wed, 16 Mar 2005, Ivan <vorotyntsev@yahoo.com> wrote in <1111010601.283827.230280@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>: >Anyone familiar with the phrase, "not (or naught) for nothing"? "Not for nothing" is the correct phrase. Yes, it is in reasonably common use. "It was not for nothing that he worked hard at his revision, since he passed his exam with flying colours." >Is it true "naught" is sometimes spelled differently in England >(nought, or nowt)? No. "Naught" is an old word equivalent to "nothing". "Nought" (pronounced exactly the same as "naught") is in current use and is equivalent to "zero". "Nowt" is a dialect word for "naught" / "nothing".  SignatureMolly Mockford They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety - Benjamin Franklin (My Reply-To address *is* valid, though may not remain so for ever.) >At 14:03:21 on Wed, 16 Mar 2005, Ivan <vorotyntsev@yahoo.com> wrote in ><1111010601.283827.230280@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>: [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >(pronounced exactly the same as "naught") is in current use and is >equivalent to "zero". "Nowt" is a dialect word for "naught" / "nothing". I wonder whether the enquirer may also have had 'owt for nowt' in mind - the idea that you don't get anything for nothing: direct equivalent of TANSTAFL - There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. SignatureDanny Collman, Birmingham > I wonder whether the enquirer may also have had 'owt for nowt' in mind - > the idea that you don't get anything for nothing: direct equivalent of > TANSTAFL - There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. > -- > Danny Collman, Birmingham No. It's from an Amercian TV show (The West Wing), and characters frequently preface a statement of opinion with "Not for nothing but...". Now it seems to me the "but" is unnecessary or even incorrect. In any case I think it was the "but" that kept me from understanding what was really meant. > At 14:03:21 on Wed, 16 Mar 2005, Ivan <vorotyntsev@yahoo.com> wrote > in <1111010601.283827.230280@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>: [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > common use. "It was not for nothing that he worked hard at his > revision, since he passed his exam with flying colours." The literal equivalent is also frequently used in Flemish/Dutch: 'niet voor niets'. - Herman - Molly Mockford wrote:> No. "Naught" is an old word equivalent to "nothing". "Nought" > (pronounced exactly the same as "naught") is in current use and is > equivalent to "zero". "Nowt" is a dialect word for "naught" / > "nothing". > -- > Molly Mockford Thank you, Molly. Is "Nowt" pronounced differently, as in "now" +"t"? >Is "Nowt" pronounced differently, as in "now" +"t"? Yes. SignaturePeter Duncanson UK (posting from u.c.l.e) > >Is "Nowt" pronounced differently, as in "now" +"t"? > Yes. But not as "now" +"t", TV and radio notwithstanding. Signaturehttp://www.dacha.freeuk.com/photo/0y08-0.htm Devil's Arrow at Boroughbridge > Thank you, Molly. Is "Nowt" pronounced differently, as in "now" +"t"? That's a very good question. You can actually tell the area of origin of people in some parts of northern England by their pronunciation of 'nowt'. To us Lankies, the Yorkshire pronunciation sounds more like 'note', and Oldham is fairly close to that. But over in Leigh, it's halfway between 'now-t' and 'newt'. Of course, we in Salford adopted the happy medium, the correct prounciation... Paul Burke |
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