Newsgroups: sci.lang
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news2.harvard.edu!fas-news.harvard.edu!newspump.wustl.edu!news.ecn.bgu.edu!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!newsfeed.internetmci.com!in2.uu.net!comp.vuw.ac.nz!actrix.gen.nz!kriha
From: kriha_p@actrix.gen.nz (Paul J. Kriha)
Subject: Re: How to say ..... in English?
Message-ID: <4bormu$3fs_001@actrix.gen.nz>
Sender: news@actrix.gen.nz (News Administrator)
Organization: Kriha Consultants Pty Ltd
Date: Tue, 26 Dec 1995 13:01:18 GMT
References: <30CE65DA.55B1@is.tokushima-u.ac.jp> <DJIqEr.BsM@discus.technion.ac.il> <DJJpIp.47n@world.std.com> <30D198AC.41C6@kurz-ai.com> <ACFBCD83966811EBD@entergrp.demon.co.uk> <30D7EDC8.75B9@esoc.bitnet> <4bit4d$kq@news.netvision.net.il>
X-Newsreader: News Xpress Version 1.0 Beta #3
X-Nntp-Posting-Host: kriha.actrix.gen.nz
Lines: 34

In article <4bit4d$kq@news.netvision.net.il>,
   Avi Jacobson <avi_jaco@netvision.net.il> wrote:
>Neal Nelson <nnelson@esoc.bitnet> wrote:
>
>[Slavin's informative piece snipped for brevity]
 
 [dtto]

>>One thing that puzzles me: why is maths called 'math' in America?
>>Maths is obviously short for mathematics and therefore a logical
>>contraction. Do Americans use an alternate root for this word?
>
>No, same root -- it's just that they have simply truncated the word 
>"mathematics", while the British have removed the plural suffix,
>truncated the singular root morpheme (presumably *mathematic,
>though I have never seen one of those animals walking about on
>its own), and glued the plural suffix back on again.  American 
>efficiency vs. British thoroughness.  In fact, the Americans
>in this case have done precisely what British restaurateurs
>do when they use the abbreviation "veg" (pronounced "vedge")
>to mean "vegetables" in the plural.

For the sake of orthogonality and balance of the universe
here in NZ we say "veges" (pronounced "vedgees").

Providing there is more then one "veg" on offer
which there usually are.

Paul JK





