Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/01/29

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Subject: Re: [Leica] OT - how to spell 'lens'
From: MEBérubé <MEB@goodphotos.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2001 16:18:35 -0500
References: <20010129063521.22687.qmail@web9107.mail.yahoo.com>

>Ray Moth jotted down the following:
>
> > And what about the spelling of "its", often miss-spelled "it's"? I
> > suppose I'm being pedantic but this really irritates me. "Its" denotes
> > possession; "it's" is an abbreviation of "it is".  For example: "It's
> > time the dog ate its food."  "That house lets in water through its roof
> > whan it's raining."

But this is a rule that simply makes no sense! (Much like boys not being 
able to wear their hats indoors, it is an archaic notion hanging round just 
to be bothersome)...

Sic Luceat Lux:
If Lucy has a certain characteristic we say "the quirk is her's" when 
speaking of it. If some non-gendered thing has a characteristic we say "the 
quirk is its" (or less awkwardly we refer to "Its quirk.") Both are 
relating possession but only the one uses the -'s-. For those folks used to 
other (more intuitive and consistent) languages this sort of nonsense rule 
is what makes Modern English so irritating.

I say unto you:
Lettuce go bak tu tha daise ware everee won speld inglish tha wae that it 
seemd most apropreeat tu them.
(If it's a good enough habit for a wordsmith of good report like Wm. 
Shakespere, it should be good enough for us peasants.)

Not to sound too much like 'enry 'iggin,s but with the advent of the 
internet and its cross pollination of the language, "English" will be 
barely recognisable is 20 years anyhow. C'est la vie.
;)
Carpe Luminem,
Michael E. Bérubé
- ---
Ni h-eibhneas gan Chlainn Domhnaill
Ni comhnairt bheith 'ne n-eagmhais
- -Giolla Colum mac an Ollaimh, Dean of Lismore 16thc

Replies: Reply from MEBérubé <MEB@goodphotos.com> (Re: [Leica] How not to spell "Hers")
Reply from "Dan Post" <dpost@triad.rr.com> (Re: [Leica] OT - how to spell 'lens')
Reply from Marc James Small <msmall@roanoke.infi.net> (Re: [Leica] How not to spell "Hers" WAS how to spell 'lens')
In reply to: Message from Ray Moth <ray_moth@yahoo.com> (Re: [Leica] OT - how to spell 'lens')