Luminous Landscape Forum

The Art of Photography => User Critiques => Topic started by: David Eckels on September 02, 2014, 08:55:54 pm

Title: Conundrum: Theatre or Theater?
Post by: David Eckels on September 02, 2014, 08:55:54 pm
I don't do many of these types of shots, but thought I'd post it. This goes back a long time to when I was in the 5th grade spelling bee and I was asked to spell "theatre" and I spelled it "theater" and I had to sit down anyway. Thus the irony in coming across this abandoned sign. Evidently, I am not alone in my confusion, which has lasted some 50 years! http://grammarist.com/spelling/theater-theatre/
Title: Re: Conundrum: Theatre or Theater?
Post by: RSL on September 02, 2014, 09:40:31 pm
The link explains it all, David. You shouldn't have had to sit down considering the fact that you were in the U.S.A.
Title: Re: Conundrum: Theatre or Theater?
Post by: Slobodan Blagojevic on September 02, 2014, 09:55:13 pm
The colour is nice too ;)
Title: Re: Conundrum: Theatre or Theater?
Post by: Alan Klein on September 02, 2014, 09:56:16 pm
I always use theater except when I'm in a snooty mood.  Then I use theatre.  
Title: Re: Conundrum: Theatre or Theater?
Post by: luxborealis on September 03, 2014, 08:21:47 pm
Considering it's a French word, it's theatre. However, we all know what Yanks think of the French, so theater would be correct in the US of A (even though my iPad is trying to autocorrect to theatre)!
Title: Re: Conundrum: Theatre or Theater?
Post by: Chairman Bill on September 04, 2014, 03:45:28 am
It's theatre, colour, though. Trousers, not bloody pants. It's basil, not bay-sil, oregahno, not oreg-ano. You can have zucchini, even though we tend to use the French, courgette, but lieutenant is pronounced lef-tenant, not loo-tenant. A loo tenant is someone who rents a toilet block. Oh, and it's khazi, thunder-box, bog, crapper, toilet or loo, but never john or bathroom.

I could go on  ;)
Title: Re: Conundrum: Theatre or Theater?
Post by: David Eckels on September 04, 2014, 09:08:12 am
Toe-mah-toe, tuh-may-toe. I've been pissed off about that spelling bee for 50 years; didn't realize we had some damn foreigners on the judging committee ;)
Oh well, water under the bridge, right? Time to let it go, but obviously the guy that designed this sign had problems too so at least it makes me feel better. Oh, that sign was in the USA, if California counts. By the way, Bill, if you have bloody pants, you've got a problem I think  ;D
PS Damn all iPad spell checkers, too!!
Title: Re: Conundrum: Theatre or Theater?
Post by: Jeremy Roussak on September 04, 2014, 02:11:24 pm
It's theatre, colour, though. Trousers, not bloody pants. It's basil, not bay-sil, oregahno, not oreg-ano. You can have zucchini, even though we tend to use the French, courgette, but lieutenant is pronounced lef-tenant, not loo-tenant. A loo tenant is someone who rents a toilet block. Oh, and it's khazi, thunder-box, bog, crapper, toilet or loo, but never john or bathroom.

I could go on  ;)

I'll help...

Aluminium, not aluminum. Kerb, not curb (unless you mean curb, of course). Pavement, not sidewalk; carriageway, not pavement. We seem to have given up on sulfur, though.

And I love the Californian habit of painting words on roads to b read in the order in which you reach them (bottom to top), not the order in which those of us used to reading read them. "Turn Right No" was my favourite (not favorite).

Jeremy
Title: Re: Conundrum: Theatre or Theater?
Post by: Slobodan Blagojevic on September 04, 2014, 02:14:02 pm
Sore losers! ;)
Title: Re: Conundrum: Theatre or Theater?
Post by: Manoli on September 04, 2014, 02:40:50 pm
Chairman Bill and Jeremy in jovial, genial and erudite mode. Makes a welcome change from P-A-S-M !
Title: Re: Conundrum: Theatre or Theater?
Post by: William Walker on September 04, 2014, 02:53:20 pm
Sorry guys, but I am with the Poms on this one!
Title: Re: Conundrum: Theatre or Theater?
Post by: David Eckels on September 04, 2014, 04:11:12 pm
Poms? P-A-S-M?
Guess I'm not erudite enough!
Title: Re: Conundrum: Theatre or Theater?
Post by: Slobodan Blagojevic on September 04, 2014, 04:35:26 pm
Poms? P-A-S-M?...

Brits' spasm?
Title: Re: Conundrum: Theatre or Theater?
Post by: William Walker on September 05, 2014, 12:30:07 am
Poms? P-A-S-M?
Guess I'm not erudite enough!

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_names_for_the_British#Pommy_or_Pom
Title: Re: Conundrum: Theatre or Theater?
Post by: David Eckels on September 05, 2014, 08:15:56 am
Thanks William! I finally figured it out, PASM=Program,Aperture,Shutter,Manual... duh! What was I (not) thinking  :D