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Joined: Aug 2001
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stranger
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OP
stranger
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Hey there everybody! I've got a question! Okay I was wondering if anyone knew if the word "Quieten" is a proper word I've seen it used as follows: "Jane scratched behind Spot's ears to quieten him." I was wondering if maybe it was "The English thing to say?" Please answer soon! Thanks.
Ashley
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Joined: Jan 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
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Dear Brunetter: while this coinage is easily understood and as a transitive verb may be a tiny bit better than "quiet", but it does not seem to me that the need for it is great enough to make its acceptance likely.
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addict
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addict
Joined: Jan 2001
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On the other hand I have always used (and heard) "quieten". "Quiet" appearing, IMHO, rather lazy and somewhat insufficient.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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it's a common enough word... [tsuwm flips through some virtual pages] chiefly British, meaning the same as the verb quiet, "A public meeting was held to quieten the tension.", "We got them quietened down after a bit."
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Welcome to the board, Brunetterr! And thanks for the interesting thread!  I've heard and used quieten often in the phrase quieten down when trying to quell the noise level of a crowd in conversation for instance. "Okay everybody, quieten down!
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Posts: 393
enthusiast
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enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 393 |
In Modern English Usage if I recall rightly Fowler gave detailed list of words where the -en conversive suffix is necessary, allowable, and unwanted.
Some adjectives have to take it to become verbs. You can't hard or soft or dark something: you harden, soften, and darken it.
At the other end, you wet or smooth something: the verbs wetten and smoothen might exist, but the only excuse for using them is if you desperately need the extra syllable in poetry.
To me, quieten is the normal word and I would have said there's no verb "to quiet". Well, I suppose there is, but I would never say I was going to quiet a baby or a crowd. However, it seems from the above that it's acceptable in N.Am. usage.
In between are words where both occur: to damp or dampen something. I think I'd damp abstract things like ardours and dampen things like towels.
The first seems to be the largest category: blacken, sharpen, steepen, moisten, redden, freshen, etc. etc.
The suffix only goes on old monosyllables so there's very little room for neologism, but I recently used the word "pinken" feeling I was inventing it; then promptly met it twice in Amy Bloom's Love Invents Us (plug for wonderful novel).
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old hand
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old hand
Joined: Dec 2000
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> quieten downI'd say I've heard 'quiet down' at least as many times as 'quieten down. > freshen I don't think I've ever heard this used as anything but a verbal phrase, e.g.: I'm off to freshen up (or I'm off to refresh myself  )
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veteran
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veteran
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This is the same usage as the well-known Pennsylvania Dutch expression, outen the light.
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addict
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addict
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quieten; freshen
I would be far more likely to say, "Quiet down." Quieten doesn't roll off my tongue as easily. I have, however, heard freshen used as a transitive verb, eg, May I freshen your drink?
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Joined: Jun 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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If I'm not mistaken, you can also freshen a cow. The purpose being to get said cow to produce milk. Someone please tell me if I'm wrong about this since I really had to beat the dust off it.
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