|
|
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
|
OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
We often hear the word 'fortnight' on British TV imports. Does 'sennight' have any currency there? (it's marked archaic in MWC) http://members.aol.com/tsuwm/
|
|
|
|
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 112
member
|
member
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 112 |
"Fortnight" is in regular usage in New Zealand, probably because of the country's historical (and therefore linguistic) connection with England.
But that denies the US historical (and therefore linguistic) connection with England.
Am I opening another can of worms?
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 81
journeyman
|
journeyman
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 81 |
Fortnight is certainly in common usage in my experience in England but sennight I've never heard used in my 40 years living in the South East, the Midlands and West Yorkshire. It may be used in a region I'm not familiar with (regional variations can be quite large and Scots is a seperate English dialect).
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 18
stranger
|
stranger
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 18 |
Fowler says - sennight. So written; but the word is now almost out of use. It might have been, but will now hardly be, utilized as a substitute for "week" in the formula "on Monday &c. week" when the reckoning was to be backwards: We start tomorrow week, BUT It happened yesterday sennight.
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 460
addict
|
addict
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 460 |
Brewer says, inter alia, that se’nnight and fort’night are relics of the ancient Celtic custom of beginning the day at sunset … also ‘The evening and the morning were the first day’ (Genesis).
|
|
|
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,580
Members9,187
|
Most Online3,341 Dec 9th, 2011
|
|
0 members (),
332
guests, and
0
robots. |
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
|