ITT a bunch of weird pedantic nerds that hate language and don’t read enough books.
Substance discovered by folks that called it alum or aluminum for literally five centuries then the Brits come galloping in to colonize the accepted name then try to look down on everyone else
Then they stole all their ancient artefacts to put in their own museums.
I, a man of culture, call it Alimony.
Which culture is that? Weird Al?
The five syllable elements are all weird radioactive things. If Al has five syllables it might make my beer can radioactive or poisonous. Better keep the syllable count on Al to four or less like all of the other normal elements.
We canadians also say Aluminum and I would like to be represented in this comic as a target of mockery alongside the US thank you.
Always find it funny how the French and British traditionally hate on each other but the British will defend to the death the stupid French shit we stole for our language
the amount of times I’ve seen people get pissed off at the American English removal of the useless “u” is actually fucking silly
The English ‘stole’ words from the French in the same way half the European world ‘stole’ Roman roads, words, and customs.
They were colonised by the Normans you silly codswallop. The British retain French words because they were forced on them by the aristocracy a thousand years ago.
I remember the battle of Hastings like it was yesterday.
It’s even sillier when you realize (hah!) that -or came from Latin, and -our came from Old French, and both had been used interchangeably in English for at least a century when Samuel Johnson decided to use -our in his dictionary, and Noah Webster decided to use -or. So Britons and Yankees are equally (in)correct.
I mean we hate on the french, but it’s mostly good natured ribbing. Also wasn’t most of the french imposed on us post invasion rather than stealing?
Waitaminute arent you the clowns who call fries “chips” and chips “crisps” (dumbest fucking name ever) and cookies “biscuits”? And dont you waddle muddy puddles or else straddle in your silly lorries? Are there ANY consonants that you dont double?
TBH repeating consonants are very helpful in pronouncing non-English words. Making them commonplace would make it easier for translators to recognize their power and more importantly know how to use them.
I’m gonna take this chance to air my personal grievance with “Iodine”, which is commonly pronounced (in the US at least) “aye-o-dine”, but if we look at all of the other halogen, their “-ine” ending is pronounced “-een”, and therefore iodine should clearly be pronounced “aye-o-deen”.
I’m English and have always pronounced it as aye-o-deen and the use of dine annoys me unreasonably.
Iodinium
Go and get some platinium and if you want to go old fashioned you may like aurium.
Sorry, I’m siding with my American compatriots on this one. Yours sounds silly.
“Aluminium” sounds like something a fantasy writer would call aluminum in their novel just to make it sound magical.
Am I the only one who finds differences in american vs british english cool, instead of a reason to be a dick
Let’s table that discussion.
Tap for spoiler
The meanings of “table” as a verb in US vs UK parliamentary usage are literally opposites. With the US meaning being to stop discussing or put aside for later, while the UK version means to begin discussing.
This actually caused confusion during allied meetings in WWII.
Aluminium is not the -ium of alumin
Aluminium is the genericitation of aluminum.
The actual -ium is of alum. The original name is alumium.
Aluminum is a modification of alumiun, not aluminium
You could be right.
However. It’s the internet and I can’t read
Ralkalest
You should just be happy that we aren’t all still calling it “tin.”
I dunno, I still frequently hear the term “tin can” used to refer to aluminum cans.
And “tin foil”
Dubya would start a nukular war over it.
