Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/09/25
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]help <snip> But as long as people don't know what > complementary means, I guess we should go with the one word they do > understand. <snip> What " one word they do understand " do you mean here? Thats what i ment simon ---- Original Message ----- From: "Jeffery Smith" <jls@runbox.com> To: "'Leica Users Group'" <lug@leica-users.org> Sent: Sunday, May 09, 2004 11:44 PM Subject: RE: [Leica] Forte and Forte: Was,Even us natives don't write English good" > Complementary refers to different things working together because each > lacks what the other has. One could say that his 35mm lens complements > his 90mm lens because the two have different roles both of which are > necessary to him. In DNA, one half-strand acts as a template for the > other half-strand. The two half strands are completely non-identical, > but one acts like a template for making the other much like a negative > acts like a template for making a positive. > > When someone says that my silver Nokton complements my olive body R2, it > might mean that the two dissimilar pieces look good together (like a > blue sport coat complements tan slacks). But saying that a silver Nokton > compliments an olive R2 implies that the Nokton is telling the R2 "Hey, > you're lookin' good!" > > Jeffery Smith > New Orleans, LA > > > -----Original Message----- > From: lug-bounces+jls=runbox.com@leica-users.org > [mailto:lug-bounces+jls=runbox.com@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of animal > Sent: Sunday, May 09, 2004 4:36 PM > To: Leica Users Group > Subject: Re: [Leica] Forte and Forte: Was,Even us natives don't write > English good" > > Now you have me confused i do know what complementary means but have no > clue > what one word you mean. > Would you explain? > Simon Jessurun > amsterdam > the netherlands > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Jeffery Smith" <jls@runbox.com> > To: "'Leica Users Group'" <lug@leica-users.org> > Sent: Sunday, May 09, 2004 11:13 PM > Subject: RE: [Leica] Forte and Forte: Was,Even us natives don't write > English good" > > > > Which is what I indicated earlier...if people do it incorrectly long > > enough, then the norm becomes the rule even if it is incorrect. And > I'm > > not using "old printed dictionaries". I learned it correctly 40 years > > ago. > > > > But I am a conservative in language, and would like things to remain > as > > they were, not as they are mispronounced. I even shun removing the > final > > comma from phrases such as "Larry, Moe, and Curly" as deleting that > > second comma always means that I have to go back and reread the > sentence > > again. > > > > I suppose that, before I expire, I will be reading about complimentary > > DNA. I suppose that means that adenine and guanine will be saying nice > > things about thymine and cytosine, or that you can have the DNA free, > > compliments of the house. But as long as people don't know what > > complementary means, I guess we should go with the one word they do > > understand. > > > > Jeffery Smith > > New Orleans, LA > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: lug-bounces+jls=runbox.com@leica-users.org > > [mailto:lug-bounces+jls=runbox.com@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of > > Jonathan Borden > > Sent: Sunday, May 09, 2004 3:59 PM > > To: Leica Users Group > > Subject: Re: [Leica] Forte and Forte: Was,Even us natives don't write > > English good" > > > > > > Marc James Small wrote: > > > > > At 12:57 PM 5/9/04 -0500, Jeffery Smith wrote: > > >> I'm more comfortable with the music version pronunciation. If I say > > >> "fort", someone invariably corrects me. > > >> > > > > > > These are two different words, though both descend from the Latin > root > > > "forti" meaning strong or forceful. > > > > > > One word comes through the Italian and means "with great force"; it > > is > > > used as a musical directive and is pronounced "for-tey" in USian > > > English. > > > > > > The other comes through Medi?val French and is a survival of the > > > earlier > > > "campus forte" or "situs forte", both meaning a fortified location. > > > Our > > > Modern English word "fort" derives from this word. And, yes, when > > > "forte" > > > is used to describe an outstanding quality or a strong > qualification, > > > it is > > > pronounced, "fort" in Modern English. > > > > > > In Modern American English, at least among the people I hang around > > with, an outstanding quality or strong qualification is referred to as > > a "forte" and pronounced "fort-ay" > > > > Let's see, searching Wordnet we get: > > http://www.cogsci.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/webwn?stage=1&word=forte > > > > > > > > Check out any decent dictionary, from the modern versions of Webster > > > or the > > > American Heritage Dictionary or, of course, the Oxford English > > > Dictionary. > > > > The way folks speak in Princeton N.J. is fine by me. I hark from the > > parts William Webster harks from, and if he were alive today I'm sure > > he'd be using this sense of the term "forte". > > > > In any case any linguist worth his or her salt would accept that when > > common usage in a community differs from some 'old printed dictionary, > > that its time to update the dictionary. Language is alive, and changes > > with time. > > > > Now let's look at what the American Heritage Dictionary says ... I > > found this: > > > > http://www.bartleby.com/64/C007/086.html > > > > > > > > So, Jefferey, allow them to correct you. Then you can correct THEM. > > > > Well you can correct, but that would be contrary to the most common > > usage by contemporary Americans. Since the reason we have language is > > to communicate, I think its best to pronounce things the way they make > > the most sense to the most people. see > > http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=forte On the other hand: > > http://www.vocabula.com/archives/VRJune00.htm > > > > Jonathan > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Leica Users Group. > > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Leica Users Group. > > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information