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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread my weekly question #2505 05/17/2000 5:28 PM Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass tsuwm Carpal Tunnel tsuwm Carpal Tunnel Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass 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/ Copy Link to Clipboard Re: my weekly question #2506 05/17/2000 6:42 PM Joined: May 2000 Posts: 112 Auckland, New Zealand David108 member David108 member Joined: May 2000 Posts: 112 Auckland, New Zealand "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? Copy Link to Clipboard Re: my weekly question #2507 05/17/2000 10:15 PM Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 81 Philip Davis journeyman Philip Davis 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). Copy Link to Clipboard Re: my weekly question #2508 05/18/2000 9:49 PM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 18 jackiemw stranger jackiemw 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. Copy Link to Clipboard Re: my weekly question #2509 05/20/2000 11:36 AM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 460 Hobart, Tasmania, Australia paulb addict paulb addict Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 460 Hobart, Tasmania, Australia 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). Copy Link to Clipboard Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

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