The American Chemical Society adopted “aluminum” because of how widely it was used by the public, but the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry officially designated the metal as “aluminium” as recently as 1990.
Why do the British pronounce aluminum as aluminium?
Aluminum = The British pronunciation is a tongue twister.
It comes easier after a few tries. But, then you’re in danger of forgetting how to say it in American-English. Sounding it out may help, al-loo-MIN-ee-um … There’s a second “i” in the British form of the word, aluminium, hence the extra syllable.
Why is aluminium Spelt and pronounced differently in the USA?
“Aluminum” would later be accepted as the official spelling by the American Chemical Society, and though the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry officially recognizes “aluminium”, its American counterpart is accepted as an alternative.
Why do we call it aluminum?
In 1808, Sir Humphry Davy identified the existence of the metal in alum, which he at first named “alumium” and later “aluminum.” Davy proposed the name aluminum when referring to the element in his 1812 book Elements of Chemical Philosophy, despite his previous use of “alumium.” The official name “aluminium” was
Which is correct aluminium or aluminum?
Generally, those that speak English in North America use the term aluminum, and everyone else around the world uses aluminium thus keeping both spellings active and accepted.
Why do Americans say period?
In 19th-century texts, both British English and American English were consistent in their usage of the terms period and full stop. The word period was used as a name for what printers often called the “full point”, the punctuation mark that was a dot on the baseline and used in several situations.
How do American people say aluminum?
The American Chemical Society adopted “aluminum” because of how widely it was used by the public, but the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry officially designated the metal as “aluminium” as recently as 1990.
Does Canada say aluminium?
Aluminum became preferred in the United States and Canada, while aluminium became favored throughout the rest of the English-speaking world.
Why do British say Zed?
The British and others pronounce “z”, “zed”, owing to the origin of the letter “z”, the Greek letter “Zeta”. This gave rise to the Old French “zede”, which resulted in the English “zed” around the 15th century.
Why do the British pronounce lieutenant differently?
According to military customs, a lower ranking soldier walks on the left side of a senior officer. This courtesy developed when swords were still used on the battle field. The lower ranked soldier on the “left” protected the senior officers left side. Therefore, the term leftenant developed.
Why is UK and US spelling different?
The main difference is that British English keeps the spelling of words it has absorbed from other languages, mainly French and German. Whilst American English spellings are based mostly on how the word sounds when it is spoken.
Is it spelled sulfur or Sulphur?
The spelling sulfur predominates in U.S. technical usage, while both sulfur and sulphur are common in general usage. British usage tends to favor sulphur for all applications.
How was aluminium originally pronounced?
As the element became more available and common, the “ium” usage was seen as more predominate across Britain and the rest of the world. Americans however, started using Davy’s original “um” usage, which was favored by Noah Webster, the infamous dictionary master.
What does full stop mean in England?
Definition of full stop
chiefly British. : a point . used to show the end of a sentence or an abbreviation : period sense 5a … the full stop after the roman numeral …—
What does full stop mean in Australia?
The period (known as a full stop in British English) is probably the simplest of the punctuation marks to use. You use it like a knife to cut the sentences to the required length.
Do British call periods full stop?
period. In American English, period is the term for the punctuation mark used to end declarative sentences. In British English, the mark is usually called a full stop.
Why do Americans speak English?
History. The use of English in the United States is a result of British colonization of the Americas. The first wave of English-speaking settlers arrived in North America during the early 17th century, followed by further migrations in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Is caramel pronounced Carmel or caramel?
Caramel is pronounced with three syllables. Carmel, the city, is pronounced with two syllables. You can use the number of syllables in each word to link it with other nouns of the same type: caramel and aerogel are both three-syllable common nouns, while Carmel and Arnold are both two-syllable proper nouns.
What are the hardest words to pronounce?
The Most Difficult English Word To Pronounce
- Colonel.
- Penguin.
- Sixth.
- Isthmus.
- Anemone.
- Squirrel.
- Choir.
- Worcestershire.
Why do British say bloody?
Bloody. Don’t worry, it’s not a violent word… it has nothing to do with “blood”.”Bloody” is a common word to give more emphasis to the sentence, mostly used as an exclamation of surprise. Something may be “bloody marvellous” or “bloody awful“. Having said that, British people do sometimes use it when expressing anger…
Why do British people say mum?
In British English, it is mostly used as a sign of repect for a woman of superior rank, say, in the military or police. In the film clip, Keeley Hawes appears to be playing the Prime Minister, whose bodyguard addresses her as ‘ma’am’ with the reduced vowel.
