[Ti] weird word pronunciation (seriously OT)

[Erika]

if expecting a reply, please note my signature, which contains clarification of my
peculiar circumstances.
Massimo Marino spake thus:


>Why the major producers in the world spell it aluminum... uhmm lack of  
>knowledge of Latin?

Aluminum, theater, center and color are U.S. spellings. British/Commonwealth spellings
are Aluminium, theatre, centre and colour (not to mention honour, valour, humour etc),
these last being via the French, who added the 'u' to them. Color, valor, humor, honor
are the original Latin spelling (3rd decl. nominative from memory). Theatre stems from
the Latin Theatrum, I think. Not sure about Aluminium and centre; don't have a Latin
dictionary handy.

I read somewhere that Noah Webster had the idea of simplifying the American spelling by
leaving out unneccesary letters, which has put Americans in the rather humourous
position of spelling 'haem' 'hem' (as in 'hem of a garment'), and, having left one
letter out of it, being forced to add another, vis 'heme', in order to avoid
confusion/absurdity. Funny...it's not even pronounced 'heme' in Latin; it's pronounced
'hyme'<g>
>
>Said that: is more correct theater ot theatre, center or centre, color  
>or colour, etc etc etc (which means ('et cetera' and it is TWO words,  
>so why 'etc' and not 'et<space>c' ?

Et cetera means 'and the rest', and is two words in Latin. It's just been contracted in
English, but one used to see &c sometimes. I always laugh when I see "etc etc", because
there can be only one 'rest', after all...
>
>Just to end with an amusing note: why parking in driveways and drive in  
>parkways? (and all the rest of hilarious similar examples)

A word to the wise...don't try to make sense of the English Language, either U.S. or
British/Commonwealth or any other dialects; that way madness
lies...ha..ha..haa...haaaah...haaaaa ahem, sorry, where was I?

   best,
   
   Erica Mackenzie
   Megalong Valley, N.S.W.
   AUSTRALIA

  N.B. Please do not be surprised or annoyed if I fail to answer your post for
  some time. I have a fluctuating chronic auto-immune neurological condition,
  and am sometimes unable to use my computer for long periods (weeks or months).
  Be assured that I will reply as soon as I can - if I can. Please be tolerant.

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