5 ms·
I realize it's a bit of a nitpick, but I kind of like the "heavy metal umlaut" in "reëvaluating" in the first paragraph. In context: > [...]cats seem to be con
by dangoor 11y ago
I realize it's a bit of a nitpick, but I kind of like the "heavy metal umlaut" in "reëvaluating" in the first paragraph. In context:
> [...]cats seem to be constantly reëvaluating the merits of our relationship, as well as their role in domestic life
It sort of emphasizes that cats evaluate things differently than we do :)
- tomjakubowski 11y agoThe diaeresis isn't any kind of umlaut, even a heavy metal one; it shares notation with the German Umlaut, but it's used to indicate that the vowel is not part of a digraph or diphthong and should be pronounced separately from the vowel preceding it. Its use is somewhat archaic -- the more "modern" way to do that is to use a hyphen, like "re-evaluate" -- but some publications, like the New Yorker, include it in their style guide. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaeresis_(diacritic) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaeresis_(diacritic)
- klenwell 11y agoOnly in the comments on a New Yorker article. Upvotes for everyone!
- dangoor 11y agoThanks for that! Must be archaic indeed because I cannot remember ever having seen reëvaluate before. I appreciate the correction. If I had a cat, I'm pretty sure it would give me one of those "see I told you so" looks right about now.
- autarch 11y agoThe New Yorker is the only place I can ever remember seeing this usage.
- alecdbrooks 11y agoThe other common places are in names like Brontë, Zoë, and so on and in the word naïve. See the the English subsection of the Wikipedia linked to above: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaeresis_%28diacritic%29#English https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaeresis_%28diacritic%29#Engl....
- nommm-nommm 11y agoChloë is also a common name as well. The New Yorker itself published an article on its use of the diaeresis: http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-curse-of-the-diaeresis http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-curse-of-t... Basically, we have three options for these kinds of words: “cooperate,” “co-operate,” and “coöperate.” Back when the magazine was just getting started, someone decided that the first misread and the second was ridiculous, and adopted the diaeresis as the most elegant solution with the broadest application. The diaeresis is the single thing that readers of the letter-writing variety complain about most. We do change our style from time to time. My predecessor (and the former keeper of the comma shaker) told me that she used to pester the style editor, Hobie Weekes, who had been at the magazine since 1928, to get rid of the diaeresis. She found it fussy. She said that once, in the elevator, he told her he was on the verge of changing that style and would be sending out a memo soon. And then he died. This was in 1978. No one has had the nerve to raise the subject since. [The first issue of The New Yorker was February 21, 1925 for reference]
- davidgay 11y agoThe other place you'll see it commonly used is French ;) For instance, Noël. David Gay
- autarch 11y agoI meant that I commonly see it in English.
- unclenoriega 11y agoAn editor was going to change it long ago, but he died before sending out the memo. At least that's the story. http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-curse-of-the-diaeresis http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-curse-of-t...
- dragonwriter 11y ago> the more "modern" way to do that is to use a hyphen, like "re-evaluate" The modern (at least, American) way is mostly not to do it, like "reevaluate".
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]