Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site rpics.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!rpics!weltyrp From: weltyrp@rpics.UUCP (Richard Welty) Newsgroups: net.lang.c Subject: Re: Etymology (originally Re: C Bites (really, how to spell )) Message-ID: <204@rpics.UUCP> Date: Mon, 28-Oct-85 20:47:36 EST Article-I.D.: rpics.204 Posted: Mon Oct 28 20:47:36 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 30-Oct-85 06:31:38 EST References: <2091@brl-tgr.ARPA> <2600022@ccvaxa> <655@stc-b.stc.UUCP> Organization: RPI CS Department, Troy NY Lines: 29 > Andrew Macpherson.writes: > > Gentlemen, it's really very simple, the use of `x' in English derives > directly from the etymology of the word: > > connexion derives from latin: con- and nectere, nexum to tie. > > Since this x in the gerund is rather rare, English has very few such > words spelt with an x, whereas American tends to use x's frequently > since it reduces the amount one has to write :-) > ( hence `sox' == half-hosen, socks) > and if the Boston Red Sox started up a farm team in Argyle, we could call them the ... :-) (sorry) (actually, the two teams were originally called the Red Stockings and the White stockings, but that is a matter for net.baseball, if such should ever come to pass ...) -- Rich Welty "P. D. Q.'s early infancy ended with a striking decision; at the age of three, P. D. Q. Bach decided to give up music" - Prof. Peter Schickele, from "The Definitive Biography of P. D. Q. Bach" CSNet: weltyrp@rpics ArpaNet: weltyrp.rpics@csnet-relay UUCP: seismo!rpics!weltyrp