4 ms·
>(Also: what distinction is being made between "oriented" and "orientated", and why?) My guess is that he's just explicitly acknowledging the Commonwealth Engl
by Mordisquitos 6y ago
>(Also: what distinction is being made between "oriented" and "orientated", and why?)
My guess is that he's just explicitly acknowledging the Commonwealth English preference for using the verb "to orientate" to mean "to focus/to position", while on the other hand the verb "to orient" is traditionally understood as literally meaning to orientate something in an easterly (=oriental) direction.
I'm a British English speaker, I use the verb "to orientate", but "object-orientated programming" still sounds unnatural to me. It's a bit like "program" and "programme"–we use "program" for software, "programme" for everything else.
- bregma 6y agoI have never heard of "orient" to mean "point something in an easterly direction." The difference between "orient" and "orientate" to my ear is "orient" is a verb and "orientation" is a noun. That means "object-oriented" is a gerunded adjective and "object-orientated" is an compounded adjectival noun. Since the usage is as a gerunded adjective, "object-orientated" is just grammatically awkward. But I'm not a grammatical prescriptivist, so you guys do you.
- gingerBill 6y agoYou are correct. I am British and write in British English. I naturally say orientate rather than orient. It's also a minor joke to add both but whatever.