RE: [css3-images] comments on radial gradients

[Brad Kemper:]
> 
> 
> On Mar 14, 2012, at 3:07 PM, "Tab Atkins Jr." <jackalmage@gmail.com>
> wrote:
> 
> > On Wed, Mar 14, 2012 at 12:48 PM, L. David Baron <dbaron@dbaron.org>
> wrote:
> >> In section 4.2.2 (Placing Color Stops),
> >> http://dev.w3.org/csswg/css3-images/#radial-color-stops :
> >>
> >>  Change axises -> axes
> >
> > I am morally opposed to Latin-inspired irregular pluralization
> > introduced a century ago, when the regular form is still clear
> > English.
> >
> > In other words, I'd like to assert editorial privilege over the
> > spellings used in the document.
> 
> I don't think editorial privilege in a technical document should extend to
> intentionally misspelling English words. "Axises" is the correct spelling
> for the plural of the Axis deer, but not for the word you are wanting to
> pluralize. [1]
> 
> I can be morally opposed to people using the word "cherry" to be the
> singular form of "cherries", when really cherries (or "cherise", as it was
> spelled in Old Northern French) was already singular (just as "cheese",
> which ends with the same "z" sound is singular), and there plural should
> be "cherrieses" or "cherises" (as with "cheeses", but we don't say "one
> chee, two chees"). But if I use "cherises" in a recipe, it would be be
> seen as incorrect by every modern reader, and would only serve to confuse.
> "Pea" is another word like that. It comes from the earlier word "Pease",
> which was singular (and still survives in "pease pudding"). But around
> 1600 it was misinterpreted as plural, with "pea" as singular, and the rest
> is history. [2] Being morally opposed to how words ended up as they are in
> English doesn't matter. Every English word comes from some bastardization
> of an earlier or foreign word or phrase. Live with it. Misspellings reduce
> clarity in a document that exists to make things clear.
> 
> 1. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/axis
> 2. Interesting book I got this from: http://www.unfoldingoflanguage.com
> 
Well, fwiw, I don't think it's clear English at all. I've never seen this word
spelled this way, every spell-checker I have on hand flags it and I've never
heard anyone say it that way either. It can't be clear if it's going to look 
like a distracting typo to everyone but the editor. And I suspect it will...

Received on Thursday, 15 March 2012 22:18:26 UTC