back to article Intellisense was off and developer learned you can't code in Canadian

Welcome to the sixth instalment of "Who, me?", The Register's confessional for IT pros who managed to break stuff before it became the kind of user-generated mess story we run in On-Call. This week, meet "Don" who told us that "Back in very late 2012 I spent almost two hours debugging a front-end error on an app." That's well …

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  1. Jamesit

    " 'You don't spell background-color with a U,' and walked away."

    How else do you spell colour?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      It's the bastardisation of the Queens English by the former colonies in the Americas. I did consider at one point they removed the letter U because they were just lazy but then the do call a lift an elevator.

      1. Solarflare

        I prefer to think of it as a separate word used on the web. Same as 'center'. It makes me feel a little less dirty when I see/write it.

        1. Korev Silver badge
          Joke

          I make sure that use the British spelling wherever possible; I never tyre of it

          1. paulf
            Coat

            Windows 8.0 Metro?

            Surely TIFKAM? (that also seems to not have a "U").

      2. Rhyd

        I also considered the lazy / efficient option...

        ...until I came across "burglarized".

        1. TheVogon

          Re: I also considered the lazy / efficient option...

          "...until I came across "burglarized"."

          Is that Ignoramous for burgled?

          Also I have come across bit when they mean bitten and broke when they mean broken. Broke as a adjective ONLY means out of money. Check your nearest English dictionary.

          1. Korev Silver badge

            Re: I also considered the lazy / efficient option...

            "Gifted" is the one that currently annoys me. It even takes slightly longer to say than "gave" or "given".

            1. James 51
              Joke

              Re: I also considered the lazy / efficient option...

              @Korev It doesn't sound quite right if you say your kids are gave or given.

            2. Hollerithevo

              Re: I also considered the lazy / efficient option...

              Yes, gifted' is a smarmy circumlocation to make giving something sound more, I don't know, formal and important, not just giving, but somehow conferring, a signifier of extra greatness, emotion, charity, generosity, whatever.

              Unless, of course, it is 're-gifted'.

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: I also considered the lazy / efficient option...

                ""Gifted" is the one that currently annoys me."

                Some of the roots of English come from Scandinavian languages. I often wonder if there is a connection between the modern English "gift" - and the Swedish word "gift"*** which is "marry".

                Traditionally in England a bride was her father's possession that was "given" to the groom.

                ***it also translates as "poison".

                1. Anonymous Coward
                  Anonymous Coward

                  Re: I also considered the lazy / efficient option...

                  "Bird" * is a Scandinavian word.

                  * As in "Dave, have you met me new bird, Sheila?

                  1. aqk
                    Paris Hilton

                    Re: I also considered the lazy sheila

                    Or as an Australian might say-

                    "Dave, have you mey me new sheila, Bird?

            3. kernelpickle

              Re: I also considered the lazy / efficient option...

              "Gifted" and "given" both have the same number of syllables--so, I don't get where it takes any longer to say. I'd also like to point out that the word "give" is used in a more broad sense, to mean the transfer of something, which may or may not involve receiving something in return--but the word "gifted" often carries further implications.

              Gift:

              something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone, honor an occasion, or make a gesture of assistance; present.

              So, it's all about context--in the case of a purchase, you wouldn't say that you were gifted something after handing the cashier money, because it was part of a transaction. You gave them money, and they gave you what you agreed to purchase. However, if they declined your payment, they could have gifted you with the item you desired to purchase--because it was given without expectation.

              While there may be a "U" in the UK and EU, there's no "U" in Bexit--so, maybe some of those goofy French spellings will get dropped in the process?

              1. Anonymous Coward
                Anonymous Coward

                Re: I also considered the lazy / efficient option...

                "something given voluntarily without payment in return"

                Except that many cultures attach great importance on an exchange of gifts. I find people are usually rather disconcerted if you give them a gift and insist on nothing in return "I expect nothing, I need nothing".

                Of course such an apparently altruistic gift may have hidden emotional strings attached - a power play to establish your superiority. There is a saying apparently attributed to Benjamin Franklin. "Most people return small favors, acknowledge medium ones and repay greater ones - with ingratitude. Benjamin Franklin".

                It sometimes necessary to give the other person a way to a redemption for them to save face with a ritual exchange. I often use the following old sentiment in those circumstances - "Anything I would like is either illegal; immoral; or the doctor would not approve".

          2. Omgwtfbbqtime

            "...until I came across "burglarized"."

            That should be replaced with "TWOCed"

            It's not just for cars anymore.

          3. paulll

            Re: I also considered the lazy / efficient option...

            And yet,"bougthen," ishityounot. Grr...

            1. Michael Thibault

              Re: I also considered the lazy / efficient option...

              "tooken"

              The horror! The horror! Exterminate the brutes!

          4. Jan 0 Silver badge

            Re: I also considered the lazy / efficient option...

            > Also I have come across bit when they mean bitten and broke when they mean broken.

            Consider the well known British phrase: "the biter bit".

          5. WallMeerkat

            Re: I also considered the lazy / efficient option...

            Or momentarily

            Is it - "The train will stop momentarily" as in it will briefly stop, or that it will stop very soon?

        2. WallMeerkat

          Re: I also considered the lazy / efficient option...

          and strangulation

      3. Michael Thibault

        Obviously, you're bias.

        It's bad, and getting worse. And the rate is accelerating. It's all so very sad.

        p.s. Ahem: "Queen's".

        1. m0rt

          Ahem: "Biased"

          1. Michael Thibault

            If you look carefully*, you'll notice that in Murcan Nglish, "bias" is fast becoming the past participle -- hence, also the adjectival form. That was the point of my post. And, yes, you were intended to catch it. I don't support the change, of course. Nor the broader trend.

            The comprehensibility of on-line text is declining rapidly. You'd think by now the principle outlets would route textual submissions (e.g. comments) through a spell- and grammar-checker, then pass the proffered text back to the poster -- with red-lining -- asking for a few changes to be made for clarity, readability, etc. … It would not be difficult to programmatically assess posts for 'reading level' and add posting delays in inverse proportion to that metric. With fair warning, of course.

            * e.g. https://www.reddit.com/r/linguistics/comments/227ns7/why_is_bias_replacing_biased_as_an_adjective/

            1. m0rt

              Aha. Then I applaud your detailed understanding of the subject.

              So much so that I will respond, three and a half years later.

        2. Steve the Cynic

          p.s. Ahem: "Queen's".

          "Queens English" - the language spoken in one of the boroughs of New York City.

          1. bombastic bob Silver badge
            Devil

            "'Queens English' - the language spoken in one of the boroughs of New York City."

            And the current U.S. President! Heh.

          2. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

            the language spoken in one of the boroughs of New York City

            The one that only has tangential reference to any variety of English, living or dead?

      4. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        I thought they called a lift a 'ride', as in "Do you want a lift to the pub?" becomes "Do you want a ride to the dive bar?"

        But in certain dialects of these islands a 'ride' is something completely different.

      5. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

        I did consider at one point they removed the letter U because they were just lazy

        No - they made a conscious decision to simplfy English to enable all the non English-speaking immigrants (Germans and Dutch for the most part at that point) to learn the language more easily.

        Which is kind of laudable in its own way.

        1. Long John Brass
          Mushroom

          laudable in its own way

          No - they made a conscious decision to simplify English to enable all the non English-speaking immigrants (Germans and Dutch for the most part at that point) to learn the language more easily.

          Which is kind of laudable in its own way.

          And yet most Dutch and German English speakers; speak better English than half the left AND right pondian "native" English speakers

          1. onefang

            Re: laudable in its own way

            'And yet most Dutch and German English speakers; speak better English than half the left AND right pondian "native" English speakers'

            I find that with most that have studied English as a second language. You don't try that hard with your native language, coz it just comes naturally, but you do try hard with other languages, coz you are studying them for a reason. The same likely applies to native English speakers learning other languages. Almost every European I have heard or seen saying "Please excuse my bad English, it's not my native tongue." has been better at English than a large percentage of native English speakers.

      6. mattje

        Both spellings are many centuries old. Color, now regarded as the American spelling, in fact predates the United States by several centuries. In early use the spellings vied for ascendancy with several other spellings. Colur, culoure, and coolor, for instance, were all in the mix before the modern British spelling gained permanent prevalence in the 17th century.

    2. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

      "How else do you spell colour?"

      And how else do you spell background?

      1. Dave 126 Silver badge

        The removal of U from colour and other words was partly an attempt to distance American English from English English, but also an attempt to remove some French influences from the language.

        Program used to be the English spelling, but Victorian show promotors wanted to infer a touch of French flair by advertising a programme of events on their posters. These days i refer to television programmes and computer programs.

        1. werdsmith Silver badge

          The English language is open source, there are many forks and distributions.

          1. EarthDog

            And as the joke goes, they all suck :)

          2. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge
            Thumb Up

            Candles?

            @werdsmith

            there are many forks

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO6EE1xTXmw

        2. PNGuinn
          Headmaster

          Program, program, I'll say potato

          Reminds me of the time many years ago when my wife, secretary in / to an electronics lab in the UK, typed a document for our resident Septic engineer:

          Paraphrased from memory:

          "Say, you've typed program(me) as both program and programme in this document..."

          << Q short lesson in English like wot she is spoken and writ >>

          Grins all round when the story got out.

          1. John Styles

            Re: Program, program, I'll say potato

            I think program for 'things wot run on computers' is more or less agreed on, though I do remember university exams saying 'linear programme'.

            But what about dialog or dialogue? My view is that like program for things wot run on computers vs programme for things wot you watch it should be dialog as in 'having a dialogue about dialogs'.

        3. TheVogon

          " was partly an attempt to distance American English from English English"

          from English. It's the original and needs no qualification.

          1. Frank Bitterlich

            Reminds me of the one time I installed an OS for an english-speaking customer. Asked him what language he wanted, British English or American English. He lowered his head to look at me over the rim of his glasses, then after a short pause he replied: "Proper English!"

            1. Long John Brass
              Headmaster

              Proper English!

              So that would be British English then :)

              I once managed to piss off a septic by pointing out that he spoke american and not english. This was after an argument on the correct spelling of tyre .vs tire

              1. Pangasinan Philippines
                Trollface

                Re: Proper English!

                The Americans do like to verbalise nouns. . . . . . .Oh!

                Lets hope this discussion brings some form of normalcy/normality to the language

        4. Hollerithevo

          Boro

          There was also a drive to simplify (1800s, and can't remember the chap) so that Yanks have ~boro instead of ~borough etc.

          1. CAPS LOCK

            Re: Boro

            Noah Webster, of dictionary fame.

          2. bombastic bob Silver badge
            Devil

            Re: Boro

            as a kid, for the longest time, I was confused by the spelling of 'bough' - always thought it was pronounced 'bow' like 'bow and arrow', and not 'bow' as in 'bow to show respect'. And in my mind it was never connected to the spelling for 'tree bough'. It may be the worst example of arcane non-phonetic spelling causing confusion. [but in middle english it probably rhymed with 'cough'].

            1. WallMeerkat

              Re: Boro

              Or Lough

              Which should be pronounced 'lock' and not 'looft'

              1. ricardian

                Re: Boro

                No! Pronounced "loch" as in Loch Lomand or Lough Neagh

            2. CrazyOldCatMan Silver badge

              Re: Boro

              It may be the worst example of arcane non-phonetic spelling causing confusion

              The trouble with English is that it's a complete packrat of a language - it has vocabulary and grammar from quite a few other languages grafted onto the fairly simple Germanic roots until the end result is more like a hazel thicket than a mighty oak tree..

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