Comment on Anon hates aluminum

dadGPT@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

• alcoholicorn@lemmy.ml ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  There is one i in Aluminum. It is not silent.

  All the other elements use an i before the u. At some point we should fix the spelling: Helum, Sodum, Plutonum, etc

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  • Th4tGuyII@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Oh, really?

    The official IUPAC spelling is "Aluminium" - notice how there are two "I"s in there.

    Since IUPAC is quite literally the international authority on chemical terminology, I'd suggest their spelling is the correct one.

    If you want to spell it wrong, you do you, but don't act like it's the correct way to spell it.

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    • alcoholicorn@lemmy.ml ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      The IUPAC can spell it how they like. But what is correct in language is determined by the way people use it, not whatever archaic rules your middleschool teacher told you (english) or some central authority publishes (looking at you French and Spanish).

      A quick search of lemmy gives >75 pages of aluminum comments, and <35 pages of aluminium comments.

      I’m sure that will change when American cultural hegemony fades, but for now, it is what it is.

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      • Th4tGuyII@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

        Ah of course, the heavily American-centric forum is obviously the perfect way to prove the entirely American misspelling is the correct one /s

        You can spell or pronounce Aluminium however you like, but there is only one internationally recognised spelling, and it's not "Aluminum"

        Those "archaic rules" exist to standardise international science communication, not to make America feel better about its inability to standardise to save its life.

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      • Skua@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

        If we're going by the way people use it, both are correct, because loads of people use both. As your search demonstrates. American cultural hegemony has not erased other varieties of English

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      • exocrinous@startrek.website ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

        Yeah but the thing is, Th4tguyII has the most upvoted comment in this subthread. Language is a democracy and the people have spoken.

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• Skua@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Yes if you're American or Canadian, no if you're British, Australian, or New Zealander, and other varieties of English I'm afraid I'm not sure about

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  • rainynight65@feddit.de ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Not to mention many other languages that use two i’s:

    German, French: Aluminium Spanish, Portuguese: Aluminio Italian: Alluminio

    Just to name a few.

    ‘Aluminum’ is just yet another instance where American English decided to be different for the sake of it, without any rhyme or reason.

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    • captainlezbian@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      The discoverer used both

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    • NielsBohron@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      yet another instance where American English decided to be different for the sake of it, without any rhyme or reason.

      I actually read somewhere that lots of those instances were actually England deciding to be different so they could look down on “the colonies.” The extra u in color and favorite, all those random e’s, etc. were actually added later to look “old-timey.”

      Now, on a lazy Sunday afternoon, I can’t be bothered to actually find a source, but I remember the source being trustworthy, so take that however you like.

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      • rainynight65@feddit.de ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

        First source I could find:

        drawingsof.com/color-or-colour/

        In the early 1800s, a U.S. lexicographer and dictionary creator named Noah Webster decided that the United States of America should use different spellings than British English — ideally to make words shorter, simpler, and more logical.

        In the 1806 and 1828 U.S. dictionaries that he published, Webster changed most of the “ou” British spellings of words to “o” — including turning “color” into “colour.” He also changed “flavour” to “flavor,” “rumour” to “rumor,” “honour” to “honor,” and many more. He argued that eliminating unnecessary letters (like that silent “u”) could save money on printing

        The claim on England looking down on the colonies wouldn’t check out of you consider that -or in favour of -our is only used in the US, none of the other former colonies (not even Canada).

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• Allero@lemmy.today ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  In most cases, it is clearly pronounced.

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