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| re: The correct spelling of "theatre/theater" ... | |
| Posted by: MFeingold 08:36 am EDT 05/16/18 | |
| In reply to: re: The correct spelling of "theatre/theater" ... - MockingbirdGirl 08:12 am EDT 05/16/18 | |
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| MockingbirdGirl is quite right. The -re spelling comes from the word's classical (ancient Greek) origin - which is why both the British and the French (and Spaniards, Italians, and Slavs) use it. The -er spelling actually came into American English through academia, where it was derived from the German. Apparently Saxons had trouble with that Greek/Latin double consonant (Theatron, Theatrum), so they inserted a vowel. But we're not German academics (most of us aren't, anyway), so there's no reason for Americans to use any but the classic spelling. |
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| re: The correct spelling of "theatre/theater" ... | |
| Last Edit: davei2000 12:25 pm EDT 05/16/18 | |
| Posted by: davei2000 12:24 pm EDT 05/16/18 | |
| In reply to: re: The correct spelling of "theatre/theater" ... - MFeingold 08:36 am EDT 05/16/18 | |
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| One could just as logically say there's no reason for us not to. Do you use "centre," fibre," "sombre" "kilometre"? Why are the British ok with "letter," "member," "minister," "monster"? | |
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| re: The correct spelling of "theatre/theater" ... | |
| Posted by: MockingbirdGirl 02:14 pm EDT 05/16/18 | |
| In reply to: re: The correct spelling of "theatre/theater" ... - davei2000 12:24 pm EDT 05/16/18 | |
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| Do you use "centre," fibre," "sombre" "kilometre"? Why are the British ok with "letter," "member," "minister," "monster"? Letter comes from the Latin littera, so etymologically, there was no reason to ever spell it -re in English to begin with |
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| re: The correct spelling of "theatre/theater" ... | |
| Posted by: MFeingold 08:50 pm EDT 05/16/18 | |
| In reply to: re: The correct spelling of "theatre/theater" ... - MockingbirdGirl 02:14 pm EDT 05/16/18 | |
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| And with "center/centre" we are actually the only holdouts, because even the German "Zentrum" duplicates the Latin "centrum." Maybe it's all just American exceptionalism. |
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