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It's probably worth noting that "gaol" hasn't been common in British English for some time. A search of the BBC news site reveals "jail" being used almost daily
by leoedin 14y ago
It's probably worth noting that "gaol" hasn't been common in British English for some time. A search of the BBC news site reveals "jail" being used almost daily while "gaol" is only used to refer to historical buildings which are now closed.
- ekianjo 14y agoWell, on etymologic grounds, "gaol" is closer to French (goale, while the pronunciation is different) than the Old English equivalent (gaylle, gaille, gaile) - so jail is somewhat closer to the Old English, in form and pronunciation.