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RE: Are we WRITERS????

Subject: RE: Are we WRITERS????
From: Marilynne Smith <marilyns -at- qualcomm -dot- com>
To: Chuck Martin <CMartin -at- serena -dot- com>, "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 24 Mar 2000 18:20:01 -0800

Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Edition, says indexes or indices. You need to be aware of whether the people who collect words for a dictionary are collecting actual use of the word or making a judgment call about the use of the word. Webster's, I believe, collects actual use.

I like to use "indexes" because it appears to be more modern than using the rules of a dead language.

Marilynne

At 03:20 PM 3/24/00, Chuck Martin wrote:

Sorry, but ain't necessarily so. (I just wish I had a *real* Websters for
reference.)

The 13th Edition of "Chicago" doesn't directly say, but in describing
plurals, it uses the sentence "Thus a book may have two indexes and a
mathematical expression two indices." (6.11, which also says that when
Webster gives 2 plurals for a word, the first is the generally accepted
one.)

The only "Websters" here in my office is the "Websters Encyclopedic
Dictionary of the English Language," published by Gramercy Press and based
on the Random House Dictionary of the English Language. The entry for index
here has "indexes" preceding "indices" for plural construction.

www.websters.com is a redirect to www.dictionary.com. The index entry there
lists the plural construction in the same order. This site claims to be
based on the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.

Anyone know what the "real" Websters says?

~!~ ~!~ ~!~ ~!~ ~!~ ~!~ ~!~
Marilynne Smith
Sr. Technical Writer
QUALCOMM
marilyns -at- qualcomm -dot- com
(858) 651-6664
AE-203B
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




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