Forum Moderators: not2easy
While Dr Johnson and some other Lexographers argue the usage is gray, a survey conducted in 1893 by Dr Murray found that the overwhelming majority of British people used grey.
The confusion arises from the Old English word which was graeg, hence we have gray and grey, some might argue it should be graey!
Further, while (in 1930) the Times newspaper always used the term gray, other notable periodicals used grey and some British people even used grey to describe a paler tint than gray! A search through history finds both spellings in use after 1300.
Confused?
Don't start me on colour V color!
<bg>
Matt
But gray is a legitimate alternative.
lol! Shouldn't it be the other way around?
But grey is a legitimate alternative.
When in doubt, always look to the official resources (United States) on color usage. In my case, it is Pantone®. If I view my printed Pantone Guides, the word gray is used as opposed to grey. If I view my Pantone Swatches in Illustrator or Photoshop, they are listed as gray as opposed to grey.
Can I ask those in countries outside the U.S. who use Pantone® colors to check their spelling of the word gray. I wonder if Pantone® has made adjustments for the spelling based on country. ;)
;-)
When in doubt, always look to the official resources (United States) on color usage.
You didn't read what I wrote <g>!
I thought I said that here in the UK the OED quotes how the Times newspaper used one spelling and other notable periodicals another. Ergo, whether Pantone use gray or grey is irrelevant to the validity of the spelling.
IF the majority of American citizens use the spelling gray, then that would be the prefered spelling in the USA, but let's not forget (and the clue's in the name of the language) where the defacto for the English language lies, in England (notice we have a number of native languages within the UK, English is the most widespread, but there is also Scots, Welsh, Cornish, Dorsetshire, Manx and a few others which are probably extinct now).
I suggest that the official source for the English language should be recognised as the Oxford English Dictionary, but conceed that for other languages, such as American, Candian, Australian and South African that other sources should be relied upon.
Yours, keeping my tongue in my cheek,
Matt
IF the majority of American citizens use the spelling gray, then that would be the prefered spelling in the USA.
You are correct, it is gray as opposed to grey in the U.S. Take a look at a 5 gallon can of Haze Gray. :)
The above is an inside joke for those who served in the Navy.
I'm wondering though if UK users or other English speaking countries have software and/or printed materials (from colour authorities) that actually use the word grey. I would assume that Photoshop and Illustrator are based on U.S. usage? Or, are there country specific versions of that software that change the wording to reflect correct English usage as mentioned above. ;)
style="background-color:Gray"
vs
style="background-color:Grey"
Gray I can live with, though it always makes me think of an anatomy book when I see it written down. But, except for in code, 'color' just looks wrong to me.
Off to search for grey/gray in printed material!
The specifications have entries for both gray and grey. They are accounting for both proper English and of course U.S. English (our version). ;)
The specifications have entries for both gray and grey.
The extended SVG colours appear to have accepted the appalling omission in the HTML4 colours...
Let's not even get started on background-colo(u)r!
Haze gray and underway!
lol! Anytime I see the actual color Haze Gray, I think of Haze Gray and Underway. A term I'll never forget. Especially after being initiated while hanging from the side of a 675' nuclear powered guided missile cruiser painting out weld marks from front to back. ;)
My last vehicle was Haze Gray in color.
lol! Anytime I see the actual color Haze Gray, I think of Haze Gray and Underway. A term I'll never forget. Especially after being initiated while hanging from the side of a 675' nuclear powered guided missile cruiser painting out weld marks from front to back. ;)
if you try
[en.wikipedia.org...]
it merely redirects to the (correct) grey page.
He succeeded in varying shades of blended black and white.
[en.wikipedia.org...]
I have rarely encountered the word gray in serious writings. I was taught "grey" as a kid, and I'm not British.
such as dropping the "u" from "-our" endings
The certainly isn't uniform: sour? flour? dour? your? our?
Lots of other "our" words could do with a trim too. Let's start with:
Supreme Cort
such as dropping the "u" from "-our" endings
certainly isn't uniform: sour? flour? dour? your? our?
Sorry if you were just kidding, but you may have misunderstood the original post. It was referring to '"-our" endings' --that is multi-syllable words which add a distinct ending-- not all words that have these three letters at the end. Compare words that add the "-ing" ending ("running", "throwing") with those whose roots happen to end with "ing" ("sing", "fling").
Of course, these rules will always have their exceptions, or apparent exceptions (as when we've misunderstood them or stated them imprecisely). I don't believe any British men are "doctours" or "actours"(or any other occupation that ends with "-or" --in ANY flavo(u)r of English!) nor do any of them sing "tenour".
Of course, these rules will always have their exceptions
Language is such a wonderful thing -- sometimes nothing but exceptions.
Just one multi-syllable exception to US spelling for now:
detour
:)
Americanizations, such as dropping the "u" from "-our" endings, or "-ize" instead of "-ise".
Would that be "Americanisations" in Britain?
Actually, "-ize" vs "-ise" is not an instance of Americans later deciding to change established British spelling. "ize" has been around for centuries, and in fact, is the preferred Oxford spelling because this is the etymological spelling (from Greek -izein). If I'm not mistaken, "ize" and "ization" endings are considered acceptable in all modern forms of English (even if not everywhere preferred).
Just one multi-syllable exception to US spelling for now:detour
That's not an exception since it has its root in the word
tour
