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Joined:  Apr 2000 Posts: 3,065 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Apr 2000 Posts: 3,065 | 
Again from David Crystal's  Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language , page 264, talking about the letter w:
 W/w usually represents a voiced bilabial semi-vowel, /w/ (wig )and also forms part of digraphs representing several long vowels or diphthongs (cow, saw, knew, owe.
 
 and page 242, discussing the sound:
 
 The distinction between consonant and vowel is fundamental, but some sounds sit uneasily between the two, being articulated in the same way as vowels, but functioning in the language in the same way as consonants. /j/ as in  yes  and /w/ as in  we  are like this. ... Similarly, /w/ is formed like a short [u] vowe, but acts as a consonant ( we, me, see ). These two consonants are therefore sometimes described as  semi-vowels .
 
 Not 'Enry 'Iggins, but I hope he'll do.
 
 Bingley
 
 Bingley
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Joined:  Aug 2000 Posts: 1 stranger
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|   stranger
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The longest word that I can find using the top row of letters is PIROUETTE.
 
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Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 | 
Welcome, violaellie.
 Heavens, your name sounds as pretty as your word!
 
 
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Joined:  Jul 2000 Posts: 3,467 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Jul 2000 Posts: 3,467 | 
>The longest word that I can find using the top row of letters is PIROUETTE.
 It's time now to branch out.  Who can make the longest (by letter count) fairly meaningful sentence from the top letter row?  I will allow commas and colons, but not semi-colons.
 
 Quite witty, I require pretty quiet typewriter, pour out poetry to requite.
 
 Not a great sentence, but not totally nonsensical either.  I get 61 letters.
 
 By the way the longest word available from the top letter row is typewriter.
 
 
 
 
 
 TEd
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Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 218 enthusiast |  
|   enthusiast Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 218 | 
Using another 10-letter top row word, REPERTIORE, I've created this 65-letter sentence:
 
 We require our typewriter to pour out trite, yet quite witty, repertoire poetry.
 
 
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Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 | 
WHOA!
 WAY TO GO !  MANY kudos to you, Brandon!
 
 
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Joined:  Jun 2000 Posts: 444 addict |  
|   addict Joined:  Jun 2000 Posts: 444 | 
>Using another 10-letter top row word, REPERTIORE, I've created this 65-letter sentence:
 We require our typewriter to pour out trite, yet quite witty, repertoire poetry.<
 
 Brandon, I will quite shamelessly build on your foundations...
 
 We're pretty quiet, yet we require our typewriter to pour out our trite, yet quite witty, repertoire poetry.
 
 
 
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Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 218 enthusiast |  
|   enthusiast Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 218 | 
Glad a gal has had asdfghjkl salad. Shall a glass fall as sad lads sag? A sad saga, dad.
 
 
 Anyone care to try the bottom row of the keyboard?
 
 
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Joined:  Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 | 
  that flows about as well as your average palindrome. |  |  |  
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Joined:  Jul 2000 Posts: 200 enthusiast |  
|   enthusiast Joined:  Jul 2000 Posts: 200 |  |  |  |  
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Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 218 enthusiast |  
|   enthusiast Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 218 | 
>> that flows about as well as your average palindrome.
 True, working with only the vowel 'a' makes for stunted sentences. Reminds me of that curious novella written without the letter 'e' (title currently escapes me). I didn't get past the fourth page because of the evident straining.
 
 
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Joined:  Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 | 
>Reminds me of thatcurious novella written without the letter 'e'
 
 there is, of course, a word for that kind of writing; to wit, a lipogram.  (why *do I know this stuff?!)
 
 
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Joined:  Jul 2000 Posts: 1,094 old hand |  
|   old hand Joined:  Jul 2000 Posts: 1,094 | 
that reminds me of one of those keyboarding class workbooks that starts you off with just a few letters, usually the Home key line.   a lad;  a glad fad;  dad had salad   . . . yuck!
 
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Joined:  Jul 2000 Posts: 200 enthusiast |  
|   enthusiast Joined:  Jul 2000 Posts: 200 | 
"lipogram"???
 
 tsunamied again!
 
 in awe...
 
 
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Joined:  Jun 2000 Posts: 444 addict |  
|   addict Joined:  Jun 2000 Posts: 444 | 
>that flows about as well as your average palindrome< So, shall we have a contest for the longest palindrome, or tsuwm, do you already have a pet site lined up for us?   |  |  |  
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Joined:  Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 Carpal Tunnel |  
|   Carpal Tunnel Joined:  Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 | 
>do you already have a pet site lined up for us?
 no; as you may have surmised, I don't much care for palindromes.
 
 A man, a plan, a canal -- Panama!
 
 
 
 
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Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 218 enthusiast |  
|   enthusiast Joined:  Mar 2000 Posts: 218 | 
Certainly not in the running for longest, but a curious favorite of mine:1 pot CO2 = 2 octopi
 
 
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Joined:  Jul 2000 Posts: 1,094 old hand |  
|   old hand Joined:  Jul 2000 Posts: 1,094 | 
>>1 pot CO2 = 2 octopi
 since when can i and 1 substitute for each other?
 
 
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Joined:  Jun 2000 Posts: 444 addict |  
|   addict Joined:  Jun 2000 Posts: 444 | 
>1 pot CO2 = 2 octopi since when can i and 1 substitute for each other?< How serious is this linguistic crime?  Is it a capital  offence?   |  |  |  
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Joined:  Jul 2000 Posts: 200 enthusiast |  
|   enthusiast Joined:  Jul 2000 Posts: 200 | 
jazzoctopus,
 if ML8 can equal "i'm late", i guess anything's possible.
 
 
 
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