Off Topic

[Reese Riverson]

Aluminum preferably, after all, we don't need one to easily break while saving Shroob.

 

[Ray502]

Excellent, picked the right one, I got that in handy.

 

[Shrooblord]

You were both banned for mistyping "aluminium" like Americans do when they speak.

Shroob was banned for posting this in the wrong topic.

 

[Master]

In their defence, they both are American.

But yeah, a metallic bat is probably the superior implement to fight off unruly foes.

 

[Shrooblord]

In their defence, they both are American.

That was part of my poking fun at them; one of my personal gripes with the American English changes versus the British English is that I completely don't understand why "aluminum" came to be - it's literally only one syllable and one letter shorter. It's not like they say "alumin" or something like that - a change like that I'd understand, since it's so much shorter, it's easier, it's shorthand, whatever, you know. I get it. That's a change I could get behind as a "yeah I see why you did that; I don't agree, but I see why you did it." But dropping only the i? Why? What's the point?
My girlfriend would tell me language is dynamic and I don't get any of it. She's probably right.

 

[PluMGMK]

It's not a syllable, it's a semivowel (at least in my experience). So it's probably a simple case of yod-dropping. Like how a lot of Americans say "nooclear" rather than "nyouclear".

 

[Shrooblord]

I did just look it up, and apparently the chemist who discovered/invented the metal went through several stages of calling it different names. It was called alumium at first, then aluminum, then some scientific review papers disagreed with the -um and changed it into aluminium, saying it was more in key with other elements like sodium, potassium, etc. The inventor then switched over to this "new form" as well, but in some countries like the North Americas, the change never took hold and they've stuck to using the "older/more original" form since its coinage.

So suits me for calling out Americans for "being different", when it's rather the rest of the world that changed their mind.

 

[PluMGMK]

Likewise for "-ize"/"-ise".

 

[Shrooblord]

Is this true? The original is "ize" and they changed it later to "ise"?

Everything I know is a lie.

 

[incognito]

I must say, Frenchmen says "Aluminium"

 

[Adsolution]

It's not a syllable, it's a semivowel (at least in my experience).

Irish! Most British people I know pronounce the i as a full syllable.

 

[Ambidextroid]

Aye, I pronounce it that way, as in "al-yoo-min-ee-um" instead of "al-oo-min-um"

 

[Reese Riverson]

You were both banned for mistyping "aluminium" like Americans do when they speak.

Shroob was banned for posting this in the wrong topic.

That's it, I'm getting my aluminum ban hammer out.

 

[RibShark]

It's not a syllable, it's a semivowel (at least in my experience).

Irish! Most British people I know pronounce the i as a full syllable.

Well, I pronounce it al-oo-min-yuhm (emphasis on the min) and I'm British, so I guess it's just one of those words with a high regional variation.

 

[Shrooblord]

Aye, I pronounce it that way, as in "al-yoo-min-ee-um" instead of "al-oo-min-um"

And I say [al-uh-min-ee-uhm]. My dad says [al-oo-min-ee-uhm].

 

[Xenon]

There should be a 'you' in there as well. Pretty sure the 'oo' sound is the result of another lazy Americanism.

Good to see you Shroob.

 

[Fifo]

Hi XENON, nice to see you back~!

 

[PluMGMK]

There should be a 'you' in there as well. Pretty sure the 'oo' sound is the result of another lazy Americanism.

Yod-dropping, as I mentioned before. But not exclusively American by any means!
On a related note, does anyone use a "you" in "solution"?

 

[Ray502]

On a related note, does anyone use a "you" in "solution"?

Hmm, as an American, I don't. I say it something like [suh-loo-sion].

 

[Master]

al-yoo-min-ee-yum here.

No you in solution, however.