Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 5 1 2 3 4 5
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
I learned this on a quiz site, but is it indeed so?

"Uncopyrightable is the longest word in the English language without repeating a letter."

Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Uncopyrightable text includes recipes and stitch patterns (for embroidery, crochet, knitting, etc.) No one "owns" the recipe for white bread or single crochet, or garter stitch or cross stitch.

this is one of the reasons why the coca cola recipe is top secret. if it ever got out, the information would be public domain.

(as for uncopyrightable being the longest word in the English language without repeating a letter, i dunno!)

Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,526
veteran
Offline
veteran
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,526
"... recipes and stitch patterns ..."
I had no idea. Thanks.

Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Oh, yeah--Kern's Kitchen has fought strongly to protect its Derby Pie copyright. Other people can make pies out of the same ingredients, but nobody else can call it Derby Pie. Some infringement or other usually makes the paper here every couple of years or so, just prior to the first Saturday in May.

Oh--sorry, Anna; I've heard that about uncopyrightable, too, but don't know where to verify/disprove it.

Last edited by Jackie; 10/10/07 01:46 PM.
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Richard Lederer agrees if you limit yourself to 'fairly common words', but watch out for dermatoglyphics.

-joe (ambidextrously) friday

Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 557
M
addict
Offline
addict
M
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 557
So patterns and recipes are uncopyrightables? (^_^)
Derby Pie would be a trademark not a copyright.
A secret formula would have to have a patent not a copyright.
I think your recipes and patterns technically would be copyrightable, but all I would have to do is re-write it in a different fashion (paraphrase) to avoid infringement of the copywrite. Copywrite covers the way something is written, not the outcome of absorbing the information. You would like to be able to "copyright" the making of the exact sweater not the exact writing of the pattern for the sweater.
If Coca-cola's formula was patented (and wasn't it originally a "patent medicine"?), it would have expired long ago.

[Edit: yes, i had a spelling malfunction today]

Last edited by Myridon; 10/10/07 06:09 PM.
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
>uncopywriteables

if you buy uncopywriteable as a noun, I think you must agree that it is 'fairly uncommon'.

-joe ( you frowzy-tingled-humpback ) friday

Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Originally Posted By: Myridon
copywrite


copyWRITE?


formerly known as etaoin...
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
in knitting (and crochet, and embroidery) there are stitch patterns (cross stitch, 'stocking knit/stockinette', single crochet.)

the directions for these are pretty simple.. there is a limited number of ways to say 'knit every stitch in the first row, purl every stitch in second row" and copyrighting the words is difficult. (photos, layout, charts, typeface.. these detail go into the copyright protection of a book of knit stitches.. but the words? uncopyrightable.)

like wise a cross stitch (looks like an X not a +) can't be copyrigthed, but directions to make a letter A out of collected cross stitches? copyrighteable!

patterns for garments? even something as simple as a scarf?
Use yarn X, with needles size y, cast on Z
knit every row till--(it is so long, or till you run out of yarn (use 1 ball, or 2 balls, or ...) bind off

that pattern can be copyrighted (and has been!)
change the yarn, change the needle size, change the number of stitches cast on, or the length, and you have a new pattern--

Toll House® Chocolate Morsel Cookies recipes-- (That use the registered trade marked brand of chocolate morsels.) can be copyrighted.

but chocolate chip cookies recipes? public domain!

(this subject comes up frequently on knitting BB's...)

Last edited by of troy; 10/10/07 05:01 PM.
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
copyWRITE?

Don't get copywrought about it ...

copyright :- 2.89M ghits
copywrite :- 692K ghits
copywright :- 623K ghits


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Oh, this is quite a thread! I can knit socks, Helen,Zocks!All my friends were punished with my socks once. And mice! Lots and lots of Mize!I'm sure there is a copyright on patterns, meaning you can copy them but not publish them.Copies,no problem.

Shouldn't that word be publishright then?


Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 557
M
addict
Offline
addict
M
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 557
Yes, I have a mental disorder with copy-right since it is the denial of the right to copy - it's the anticopy-unright - the non-author does not have the right to copy or the author has the right to anticopying protection. (It also seems more to do with writing than copying to me.) Copyright also gives rise to copyleft. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyleft

I have a similar problem with perforate. It seems more important that the tiny holes in the paper are made ahead of time (pre-forate) than that the holes go thorough (per-forate), esp considering they often don't go through (or you'd need a microscope to prove it.)

Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Y'all people are very strange.

Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
No bran shea, you can't photo copy (not with out permission!)
well you can copy for yourself (i often do, so i don't have to carry a whole book around with me, or rip the pages out of the book)

but its not generally acceptable to photo copy (for distribution) a pattern. when you buy a pattern (in a book, in a store, as a pdf download..it's for your personal use. in most cases, you can't donate to a charity auction. (you can donate to charity and you can give away the finished object, but you can't give the FO to a charity to auction off (with out permission)

Libraries (well libraries in US) have library edition of books--these are more expensive than home editions. it is recognized that library edition of a pattern book might have patterns photocopied --(and it's ok to photocopy a reasonable amount of material.. (10% or so) of a library book for personal use..

Just as we have language experts here (and scholars who know can translate latin, german, etc, there are some lawyers who specialize in copyright law who are also knitters.. and there are knitting blog and knitting BB that have whole threads devoted to the details of copyright law (and what is copyrightable (or what is uncopyrightable!)

Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
I'm a very unobsessed knitter Helen and sometimes I do uncopyrightable things. I've copied the mouse to five friends.I hope the lawyers won't read this.
Any other fairly common word that equals copy/paste: uncopyrightable?

Joined: May 2002
Posts: 1,529
T
veteran
Offline
veteran
T
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 1,529
Originally Posted By: BranShea
Any other fairly common word that equals copy/paste: uncopyrightable?

Well, BranShea, in the high circles I travel in the term jungarctosphile is fairly common.

jung-arctos-phile:

jung = Carl Jung
arctos = bear
phile = friend of

jungarctosphile:
Carl Jung's theory that the spontaneous fondness that all of mankind feels towards teddy bears can be found deep within in our collective psyche. (also see WWFTD for arctophile)

(copyrighted 10-10-2007 all rights reserved)




Last edited by themilum; 10/11/07 12:55 AM.
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
What's a tingled ?

Edit: see, *I won't pounce upon poor, benited Myridon; but I will accost tsuwm!

Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Smatter Milo, lose that © already?

Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Originally Posted By: Jackie
What's a tingled ?

Edit: see, *I won't pounce upon poor, benited Myridon; but I will accost tsuwm!


you frowzy-tingled-humpback

<sigh>
it's the past participle (read adjective) of the verb tingle.

-joe (thou misbegotten sheep-biting moldwarp!) friday

Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
! yourself! By putting frowzy-tingled, you are indicating (by MY rules) that frowzy modifies tingled; so I just wondered what it was, is all. [envisioning some cetacean version of a coxcomb e]

Edit: ooh, I just lurve a good argument!

Last edited by Jackie; 10/11/07 12:43 PM.
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Originally Posted By: Jackie
Edit: ooh, I just lurve a good argument!


can't wait until we have one...



formerly known as etaoin...
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Originally Posted By: Faldage
Smatter Milo, lose that © already?


actually, JFTR, Copyright applies fully and automagically to any creative work the moment it is created online. irregardless(sic) of losing your silly C.

-joe (©©©©©) friday

Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
gimme a ©, a bouncy ©

b©a©h©
© © © ©


formerly known as etaoin...
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
OP Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
I'm getting © sick.

Joined: May 2002
Posts: 1,529
T
veteran
Offline
veteran
T
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 1,529
Originally Posted By: AnnaStrophic
I'm getting © sick.


Me too, Anna. Your Faldage has offered to send me a keyboard with a encircled "c" on it if I send him $100 in cash. Until then he says I should addendum every post with "copyright pending"

What do you think?

[warning: copyright pending]

Last edited by themilum; 10/11/07 06:36 PM.
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Not to change the subject or anything but, unlike other purported longest x-type words in English, the longest word that does not repeat a letter does have a length limit.

Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Quote:
From Zed :It is possible to be obscure with short words but sesquipidalianism feels so much more sophisticated.

ses·qui·pe·da·lian·ism noun
Definition:
long word: a word with many letters or syllables
[Early 17th century. < Latin sesquipedalis "measuring one and one-half feet" < sesqui- (see sesqui-) + ped- "foot"]

I thought this was a word made up by Zed , but it is a real word.
Not all different vowels, but long.Would there be a shorter word for: a word with many letters or syllables?

Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 7,210
> Would there be a shorter word for: a word with many letters or syllables?

why? I love this sort of linguistic onomatopoeia!

the one we should be looking for is a shorter word for abbreviation....


formerly known as etaoin...
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
>linguistic onomatopoeia!

I like the term autological that Hofstadter used for self-descriptive words (and heterological for non-self-descriptive).

-joe (Grelling) friday

edit: list of autological words

Last edited by tsuwm; 10/16/07 01:58 PM.
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
like abr.?

You're right, sesquipidalianism is a funny word. But to get to write it without copy/paste will take some time for me.
(if ever)

And heterologicality? Oof!

Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Hofstadter poses the question: Is 'heterological' heterological?

Suppose 'heterological' is heterological, then 'heterological' does not have the property for which it stands. But, the property for which it stands is the property of being heterological, that is, 'heterological' does not have the property of being heterological. However, if 'heterological' is not heterological it has the property for which it stands. But, the property for which it stands is the property of being heterological, that is, 'heterological' is heterological.
- from Heterologicality, by Leon Bowden

-ron o.

Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Originally Posted By: Leon Bowden

Suppose 'heterological' is heterological, then 'heterological' does not have the property for which it stands. But, the property for which it stands is the property of being heterological, that is, 'heterological' does not have the property of being heterological. However, if 'heterological' is not heterological it has the property for which it stands. But, the property for which it stands is the property of being heterological, that is, 'heterological' is heterological.


Thus proving Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem.

Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Thus proving Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem.

Well, not proof in the mathematical sense, but an illustration of it perhaps.


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 631
addict
Offline
addict
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 631
Quote:
dit: list of autological words


I can't believe the word word is not on that list!

Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
>I can't believe the word word is not on that list!

it is, in the list of autological nouns; although, strictly speaking, autological applies to an adjective or other predicate.

-joe (adjectival) friday

Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Originally Posted By: zmjezhd
Thus proving Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem.

Well, not proof in the mathematical sense, but an illustration of it perhaps.


Oh you prescriptivist dingalinguists!

Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Oh you prescriptivist dingalinguists!

But, I did not prescribe anything. (I didn't even tell you that you were wrong.) You are free to say or type ennyfing you wants to. (I was just suggesting that your proposition was false.)


Ceci n'est pas un seing.
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
dingalinguists Ohmigawd--that is GREAT!

Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
I don't know what I would choose zmjezhd. The prescription or the suggestion that my proposition would be false.
(if I had any)

Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Originally Posted By: Jackie
dingalinguists Ohmigawd--that is GREAT!


Brought to you by that great defender of the moon from the wolves, Robert Hartwell Fisk.

Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Quote:
Those who utter the term "teh" are also split. A common online misspelling of "the," "teh" has come to mean "very" when placed in front of an adjective -- such as "tehcool" for "very cool." Some pronounce it tuh, others tay.

Off topic, but from of the conversation at your link:
Interesting parallel. Te cool is often used here, not because it is a misspelling of the, but because the Dutch word 'te' means 'too'. ( te >written the same way and pronounced tuh).
And the word cool has been adopted since quite a while.Funny.

Last edited by BranShea; 10/20/07 06:30 AM.
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 956
old hand
Offline
old hand
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 956
Quote:
the Dutch word 'te' means 'too'.


Kia ora Branshea. The Maori word 'Te' (pron: Ted without the d)
means 'the'.
Te kuri = The dog.

Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Te cool!

Last edited by BranShea; 10/20/07 08:36 PM.
Page 1 of 5 1 2 3 4 5

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,330
Members9,182
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
Ineffable, ddrinnan, TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV
9,182 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 1,018 guests, and 1 robot.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,541
LukeJavan8 9,916
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5