LinuxSA Mailing list archives

  From: Alan Kennington <akenning@topology.org>
  To  : LinuxSA <linuxsa@linuxsa.org.au>
  Date: Thu, 7 Jun 2001 23:42:45 +0930

Re: Learning how to programme in Linux

On Thu, Jun 07, 2001 at 09:02:26PM +0930, Richard Russell wrote:
> > Subject: Learning how to programme in Linux
> 
> not nipicking, just wondering -- what is the accepted australian spelling
> for program? I would say "program", but I have seen a number of instances of
> "programme" recently... is one UK, one US? hmmm
> 


Richard,

I think there is very little ambiguity as regards the 
spelling of program/programme.

UK usage: programme - derived from Greek via French, I think
US usage: program - derived from the US attempt to make
	  their spelling more rational in past times.

But computing as we know it is largely a US-culture thing,
and therefore the spelling in the computing context has
become "program", even in the UK.

However, if you talk about a TV programme, the UK still uses
"programme", as we do here in Australia predominantly.
But the computer spelling from the USA is getting into
UK and Australian usage too.

It's also interesting that in the US, they tend to use single
letters in participles: programing, programed.
UK spelling rules say that if the vowel is "open" or "long" (i.e. a
diphthong), then you use a single letter before the
consonant-vowel sequence, whereas if it is "closed" or "short"
(i.e. a simple vowel), then the consonant must be doubled to
protect it from the following vowel. Thus "programmed",
"programming", but "gamed", "gaming".

For the letter "l" in particular, the US does not double
the consonant in the participles where the UK does.
Thus "labeling" versus "labelling" etc.

-------------------------------------------------------
In the case of "disk", it seems that the US usage is "disk",
and UK is "disc". They both come from Latin "discus"
or French "disque". Once again, UK usage tends to be more
traditional whereas US spelling is more logical.
Similarly they tend to use "z" where we use a voiced "s".

It's always very interesting to see how all of these spelling 
differences play out in Australia, particularly in computing,
where the US influence is strong. Since WW2, Australian
governments have tried to progressively remove UK influence and
welcome US influence (because the UK couldn't protect Australia
from the Japanese and the US had to be called in).
Hence we got a dollar instead of a decimal pound in 1966.

Personally, my choice is always to use US spelling in the
computer context, and UK spelling in the everyday context.

Computing or US:
program
disk
queueing
mail

Real-life in Australia and UK:
programme
disc
queuing
post

Thankfully we don't have two different words for everything in
computing as they have in the French language!

Cheers,
Alan Kennington.

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