7 Rules for Identifying People by Place Names

7 Rules for Identifying People by Place Names 7 Rules for Identifying People by Place Names 7 Rules for Identifying People by Place Names By Mark Nichol George R. Stewart, if he is remembered today at all, is noted as the writer of Earth Abides, a seminal work in the science fiction subgenre of the postapocalyptic novel. But to some language geeks he is hailed as an onomastician, a scholar of place names. Stewart, in the 1930s, is perhaps best known in the latter role for proposing a schema for how to identify someone according to their place of origin or residence. Journalist and scholar H.L. Mencken was reportedly so impressed with the following distillation that he named them Stewart’s Laws of Municipal Onomastics: 1. Add -n to a place name ending in -a or -ia (Atlantan, Californian). 2. Add -an to a place name ending in -i or sounding like -e (Hawaiian, Baltimorean). 3. Add -ian to a place name ending in -on (Washingtonian). 4. Change -y to -i and add -an to a place name ending in -y (Schenectadian). 5. Add -an to a place name ending in -o (Ohioan). 6. Add -ite or -er to a place name ending in a consonant or a silent -e (New Englander, Seattleite). 7. Delete -s and add -tan to a place name ending in -polis (Annapolitan, for Annapolis). That’s an impressive and helpful set of rules. Unfortunately, many people didn’t get the memo, so we find the rules widely broken. For example, someone from Florida is a Floridian, not a Floridan, and one writes of San Franciscans, not San Franciscoans. Parisians breaks the rules (it should be Parisite ouch or Pariser), as does Chinese (Stewart’s rule dictates Chinan). Then there are classical affectations like Cantabrigian (Cambridge), Novocastrian (Newcastle, in Australia), and Oxonian (Oxford); more or less well-known foreign language alterations such as Flemish (Flanders), Madrileno (Madrid), and Muscovite (Moscow); and references some famous, others obscure based on state nicknames, think â€Å"Bay Stater† (Massachusetts), Hoosier (Indiana), and Nutmegger (Connecticut). Thus, like many other attempts at codifying human behavior or custom, Stewart’s laws are breached as often as they are observed, but they’re still a useful guideline. Ultimately, though, let your fingers do the walking through a dictionary, geographical dictionary, atlas, or other resource. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Punctuating â€Å"So† at the Beginning of a Sentence50 Idioms About Meat and Dairy ProductsHow to Send Tactful Emails from a Technical Support Desk

The Volatile Nature of Its

The Volatile Nature of Its The Volatile Nature of It’s The Volatile Nature of It’s By Maeve Maddox Blasphemy: A law to protect an All-Powerful, supernatural Deity from getting its feelings hurt. As you might expect, this quip by Ricky Gervais stirred strong responses when it was posted on Facebook. Some commenters were amused by it, but others most definitely were not. What caught my attention was not the heated religious discussion that Gervais’s irreverent comment provoked, but the grammatical scuffle that erupted over his erroneous use of it’s. Commenters were able to â€Å"Like† individual replies. The first reader to point out that â€Å"it’s feelings† should read â€Å"its feelings† received 103 Likes. The comment that dismissed the objection–â€Å"Its basic grammar and was probably a typo. Who cares?†Ã¢â‚¬â€œreceived only 7 Likes. Is it too much to hope that this little pollunscientific as it issuggests that members of the reading public who care about the correct use of it’s may outnumber those who don’t? Probably. Something this exchange does illustrate is that typographical errors, misspellings, and grammatical faults distract readers from serious discussions–even in that land of linguistic anarchy we call â€Å"social media.† I’d be lying if I said I’ve never typed it’s where the context called for its. I’ve probably even allowed at least one disgraceful it’s to slip into print. For that reason, I must be grateful to the class of readers who can give a misused it’s the benefit of the doubt. Such tolerant folks assume it must be an unintended typo. After all, doesn’t everyone know that it’s is a contraction of it is and not a possessive adjective? Alas, some typos are more forgivable than others, even in comment threads. The accidental typing of hte or teh for the, for example, will go unremarked by all but the most mean-spirited nit-picking troll. It’s for its, on the other hand, elicits a visceral reaction in some readers. They can’t help it. No matter how deep or serious a discussion, a misplaced it’s or its will almost certainly bring it to a grinding halt. Bottomline: Whether you think it matters or not, if you want to keep readers’ attention focused on the topic at hand, make sure you haven’t misused it’s before clicking â€Å"Reply† or â€Å"Submit.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:What Is Irony? (With Examples)15 Types of Documents20 Slang Terms for Law Enforcement Personnel