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| Thread ID: 69019 | 2006-05-19 07:53:00 | Is this a USA thing - disk vs disc? | BoboTheClown (5652) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 456059 | 2006-05-19 07:53:00 | Lately I have seen the spelling of disk spelled as "disc" more and more often, Firefox by example when you chose to "save to disc" Is it me, or are we becoming Americans or something? Nukiler... Another example - "gas" at the "gas station". Last time I looked there were 4 states a material can be in: solid, liquid, gas and plasma. Petrol = liquid Diesel = liquid LPG = Liquid Petroleum Gas Water = liquid Air = gas So how come we are now all of a sudden filling up our tanks with gas, isn't that destined for the "tires"? :waughh: |
BoboTheClown (5652) | ||
| 456060 | 2006-05-19 08:10:00 | Disc = English english, from Latin discus. Disk = American english, and in computer disks, both forms valid and interchangeable. Gas, from gasoline, American english for 'petrol' which in turn comes from petroleum which in turn derives from Latin petra meaning rock. I dont suppose the influx of American english does any real harm. what is a pity is when the American version loses its older Latin, Greek, Anglo-Saxon, or Norman French linguistic origins by radically changing the spelling. |
Terry Porritt (14) | ||
| 456061 | 2006-05-19 08:32:00 | I always use disc to refer to a CD and disk to refer to a hard disk or floppy disk. I think I read that somewhere? :) | Sb0h (3744) | ||
| 456062 | 2006-05-19 08:54:00 | I always use disc to refer to a CD and disk to refer to a hard disk or floppy disk. I think I read that somewhere? :) This is because floppy disks and hard disk drives (winchesters) were invented by IBM (American of course), and compact discs were invented by Philips. |
Terry Porritt (14) | ||
| 456063 | 2006-05-19 09:41:00 | This is because floppy disks and hard disk drives (winchesters) were invented by IBM (American of course), and compact discs were invented by Philips. that's an interesting bit of tivia. I'm sure it will be of much use to me someday. |
Greven (91) | ||
| 456064 | 2006-05-19 20:01:00 | Philips is Dutch! :groan: It's just American and British usage which, I might add, is becoming blurred because of the digital age. Other examples causing confusion: programme/program. favourites/favorites. You just have to live with it. Check out Mark Twain's view of the matter: www.mantex.co.uk |
Vallis (8886) | ||
| 456065 | 2006-05-19 20:24:00 | Philips is Dutch! :groan:Makes no difference. Terry is right - Philips gave the compact disc an english name, and chose to use British english. | Greg (193) | ||
| 456066 | 2006-05-19 21:07:00 | I can imagine an earnest discussion taking place among the Philips marketing people, as to whether to call the newly invented plaat a 'compact disk', or 'compact disc', or even 'kompakt disk', but given they have the word discus, and the bias towards English, then 'compact disc' won out. If babelfish is used to translate 'compact disc' into dutch it gives.........compact disc :) |
Terry Porritt (14) | ||
| 456067 | 2006-05-19 21:49:00 | I've always wanted to change my IE favorites to read favourites as itniggles me intensely but I guess it's impossible or too difficult. I suppose I could change browsers at a pinch |
bonzo29 (2348) | ||
| 456068 | 2006-05-19 22:21:00 | I've always wanted to change my IE favorites to read favourites as itniggles me intensely but I guess it's impossible or too difficult. I suppose I could change browsers at a pinch IE - Yuk!! In Firefox they are called "Bookmarks" :) Much easier :D :D |
Zippity (58) | ||
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