Re: To utilize or not to utilize?

[Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com>]

Annamaria Profit wrote:

> You can see that clearly in "muslim", which began its life as "moslem", but
> transmutated (sp?) after the turbulent 60's.  These days "moslem" has
> become virtually extinct, even in govt circles.

Actually, this example is rather more complicated. First, both "muslim" and
"moslem" were both current in Victorian times, so it's not a case of a
misspelling becoming the standard, but of one choice being made over another.
Second, both words are an attempt to render a non-English word. In such cases,
the preferred word-use can change, either as a result of changes in the original
language, or because of a change in the conventions of rendering words from the
original language in English - supposedly in the interests of greater accuracy
(which is why, in Chinese, we now have "Zhao" instead of "Mao").

--
Bruce Byfield bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com 604.421.7177



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