[Search for users]
[Overall Top Noters]
[List of all Conferences]
[Download this site]
| Title: | The Joy of Lex |
| Notice: | A Notes File even your grammar could love |
| Moderator: | THEBAY::SYSTEM |
|
| Created: | Fri Feb 28 1986 |
| Last Modified: | Mon Jun 02 1997 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 1192 |
| Total number of notes: | 42769 |
The remarks about "writrix" elsewhere in this conference reminded
me of an old question of mine. What are the rules governing the
suffixes that turn nouns into adjectives? or verbs into nouns?
For example, why is it "English," "Israelite," and "Rumanian"?
Why not "Englite," "Israelian," or "Rumanish"? Is it just chance
and convention that assign the -ish, -ite, and -ian endings, or
are there rules? A similar question arises about "writrix" and
"authoress." Why not "writress" and "authorix"?
Anyone know?
Earl Wajenberg
| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 209.1 | A digression... | EVER::MCVAY | Pete McVay | Fri Jun 20 1986 15:32 | 17 |
| On the old "Soap" show, one of the principal characters was gay.
The following dialogue ensued when he encountered a Texas housewife
on a cross-country search:
"I'm looking for a friend of mine; your neighbor said you might
know where she is."
"Oh. Ahr yew her boy-frien'?"
"No; I'm gay."
"Naw! Yew a homo? I ain't never seen a homo befo'--leastwise a
live one. What would yew want with her, if yew don't like girls?"
"She's a friend--she's gay too."
"She's gay? Whut dew yew call female homos -- homettes?"
|