[plug] KDE en_GB i18n question!

[Bret Busby]

On Mon, 11 Mar 2002, John Knight wrote:

> 
> Cheers mate, but could I get you to re-phrase the last paragraph?
> 
<snip>
> >
> >Therefore, in the circumstances, I suggest that someone go to a bookshop
> >(which is the most likely source of the most up to date version of the
> >Concise Oxford Dictionary), and seek the word "journal(l)ing", to verify
> >that it has been formally accepted into the English language, otherwise,
> >to use the double "l" spelling of the word, on the basis that the practice
> >appears to be that where a single vowel is followed by an "l" at the end
> >of the word, so as to give the vowel a short vowel sound, the action of
> >the vowel (such as in marshal-ling, is spelt using a double "l".
> >
> >"Be careful of for what you ask, for you may get it."
> >
> >--
> >Bret Busby
> >..............
> >
> 

Therefore:

1. I believe that someone should visit a bookshop (as the most likely
source of the latest available version of a Concise Oxford Dictionary), to
check whether the word journal(l)ing has been formally accepted into the
English language, and, if so, how the boffins say that it should be spelt.

2. Failing that, I believe that the word should be spelt "journalling", as
practice appears to indicate that a verb that ends with a combination of
letters, that is comprised of a consonant followed by a vowel, followed by
an "ell" character, so as to give the vowel a short sound, such as drill,
fell, toll, etc, is converted to the action of the verb, by the suffixing
of the letters "ling", such as drilling, felling, tolling, etc.
..............................

Is that okay?

If you meant the last sentence in the message above, which is a quote, no,
I cannot rephrase that, as it is a quote that is one of the principles of
witchcraft and demonology, from memory, and I do not know how to word it
otherwise, whilst preserving the meaning, and, in avoiding altering the
sense of the quotation.

-- 
Bret Busby
..............

"So once you do know what the question actually is, 
 you'll know what the answer means."
 - Deep Thought, 
   Chapter 28 of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
 - Douglas Adams, 1988
.......................................