what's the best spelling?

**Pour1Malt** · 19th February 07, 01:13 AM

frae Wikipedia...

The Sgian Dubh (pronounced "skee(a)n doo", IPA /ski:n du:/, or lightly diphthongised /skiən/) is a ceremonial dagger (Gaelic sgian) worn as part of the modern Scottish Highland dress along with the kilt. It is worn tucked into the hose with only the pommel visible.

Etymology

The name comes from the Gaelic meaning "black knife", where "black" may refer to the usual colour of the handle of the knife. It is also suggested that "black" means secret, or hidden, as in the word blackmail. This is based on the stories and theories surrounding the knife's origin and the meaning of "Dubh" in Gaelic.

Origins

The sgian dubh may have evolved from the sgian achlais, a dagger that could be concealed under the armpit. Used by the Scots of the 17th and 18th centuries, this knife was slightly larger than the average modern sgian dubh and was carried in the upper sleeve or lining of the body of the jacket.

Courtesy and etiquette would demand that when entering the home of a friend, any concealed weapons would be revealed. It follows that the sgian achlais would be removed from its hiding-place and displayed in the stocking top held securely by the garters.

The sgian dubh also resembles the small skinning knife that is part of the typical set of hunting knives. These sets contain a butchering knife with a 9-10 inch blade, and a skinner with a blade of about 4 inches. These knives usually had antler handles, as do many early sgian dubhs. The larger knife is likely the ancestor of the modern dirk.

The sgian dubh can be seen in portraits of kilted men of the mid 1800s. A portrait by Sir Henry Raeburn of Colonel Alasdair Ranaldson MacDonell of Glengarry hangs in the National Gallery of Scotland; it shows hanging from his belt on his right hand side a sheath holding nested hunting knives, and visible at the top of his right stocking what appears to be a nested set of two sgian dubhs. A similar sgian dubh is in the collection of The National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland.

**Mike1** · 19th February 07, 04:17 AM

P1M has hit the nail right on the thumb.

Although there are several spellings, only one is correct. If you are going to refer to the knife in the Gaelic, it is spelled sgian dubh.

The problem with relying on phonetic spelling is we are not properly teaching those that follow. What happens when we have an entire generation thinking that kat, dawg and pleeze are spelled correctly? It seems we already have a generation or two that think the words their, they're and there are completely and seamlessly interchangeable.

**Paul Henry** · 19th February 07, 04:41 AM

Of course spelling is very important, but we should remember that the spelling of many words in English can be different, and in the 18th Century there was no absolute "right" spelling of many words, and people like Johnson compiled his Dictionary which was very useful in trying to suggest coherent spelling.
To further complicate matters, words from foreign tongues are often represented in some form of phonetics, and they vary. We usually accept the most used form, as the standard.
And as a humourous(?) aside..... Noah Webster did do a lot of work of trying to sort out spelling in the US, not that we Brits think that succeeded!!

**Pour1Malt** · 19th February 07, 06:05 AM

Originally Posted by paulhenry

....... Noah Webster did do a lot of work of trying to sort out spelling in the US, not that we Brits think that succeeded!!

aye... here it is viewed maire that he wuz attemptin' tae destroy English....

**arrogcow** · 19th February 07, 07:05 AM

Originally Posted by Pour1Malt

aye... here it is viewed maire that he wuz attemptin' tae destroy English....

Pot, meet kettle

Adam

**Pour1Malt** · 19th February 07, 07:07 AM

Originally Posted by arrogcow

Pot, meet kettle

Adam

**Pour1Malt** · 19th February 07, 06:03 AM

Originally Posted by Mike1

P1M has hit the nail right on the thumb.

Although there are several spellings, only one is correct. If you are going to refer to the knife in the Gaelic, it is spelled sgian dubh.

The problem with relying on phonetic spelling is we are not properly teaching those that follow. What happens when we have an entire generation thinking that kat, dawg and pleeze are spelled correctly? It seems we already have a generation or two that think the words their, they're and there are completely and seamlessly interchangeable.

an micht ai ad...

"your, you're, & yore"

"to, too, & two"

"it's, its, and its'"

"advise & advice"

"definitely & defiantly"

"right & write"

**Kid Cossack** · 19th February 07, 06:39 AM

Originally Posted by Pour1Malt

an micht ai ad...

"your, you're, & yore"

"to, too, & two"

"it's, its, and its'"

"advise & advice"

"definitely & defiantly"

"right & write"

capital/capitol

affect/effect

principle/principal

I realize that standardized spelling is a recent "meme" but it's one I like; I enjoy proper word usage, even if I don't always manage to carry it off myself.