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#137608 01/22/05 03:02 PM
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Does he have to be Chinese?

Not if he knows Kung Fu.


#137609 01/22/05 03:07 PM
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queue is pronounced CUE-you

And here I thought it was pronounced kwee-wee.


#137610 01/23/05 12:43 PM
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Queue is pronounced the same as 'cue' in American English, for the record. Here's MW:

"Pronunciation: 'kyü"




#137611 01/25/05 09:09 AM
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As to why "queue" is spelled "queue" and not "cue", one can ask why "quay" is pronounced "key".

The British seem to have a certain fascinating eccentricity about such things [perhaps because they think they invented the language]. Americans are less given to these embroideries. For them, a "Quay" is a "Key", not a "Quay", and they will not stand for "queues".


Spelling it 'quay' is, indeed, a pain in the bum. And it's all the fault of pretentious nitwits who fancied themselves as sophisticated.

'Quay' used to be spelt 'key' (ME 'key' from OFr 'kay'). But the spelling was changed under the influence of modern French 'quai'. (Concise Oxford Dictionary, 10th ed)

Don't know why 'queue' is spelt like that, but it's from the French again.


#137612 01/25/05 09:24 AM
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Don't know why 'queue' is spelt like that, but it's from the French again.

Perhaps it's etymological warfare.

And, speaking of that, was it also the French who got us hung up on guerrilla [as in "guerilla warfare"] - which any Playstation iPodder will tell you should be spelled "gorilla" - and, also strung us up on "manoeuvre"?

Who hasn't been out-manoeuvered by "manoeuvre", I ask you?




#137613 01/25/05 09:34 AM
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was it also the French who got us hung up on guerrilla [as in "guerilla warfare"]

Wouldn't be at all surprised!!

They're the culprits for us losing 'cw' and having to spell it 'qu'. Just so that English looked like a posh (?) Romance language. People should keep their pretensions to themselves.


#137614 01/25/05 10:16 AM
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People should keep their pretensions to themselves.

When they keep it to themselves, Millymax, it's called "hypertension".

Hell, no! Why keep it to yourself? Who needs it? Why can't people "let it go"? :)



#137615 01/25/05 10:50 AM
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People should keep their pretensions to themselves.

Huh? Did somebody call me? I was dead asleep and I swear I thought I heard somebody call my name.
Oh yeah...now I see. You people are talking about people who are pretentious.
Yeah, I think we tried that once on Awad. Everyone agreed to stop being pretentious
and so I was the only one who posted here for three days.

Me? My only pretention is my overuse of the word pretentious.
But if like me you realize the folly of being pretentious then being pretentious can be fun.

Sorry Milly, that is all I know about being pretentious.

But hey, I know a lot about being a screwball.
And I hope some screwball starts a thread.






#137616 01/27/05 03:50 AM
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Is one who stops being pretentious rendered posttentious? Or just tentious?


#137617 01/27/05 04:24 AM
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Are you serious? In my entire life, I have only ever heard this word pronounced as an exact homophone of its inital letter. I did not even know that anyone else would consider pronouncing it differently.


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