h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

As for electric/electrical

There is certainly a difference. I would go to a shop to buy electrical appliances, but not electric ones.

A charged atmosphere (when everyone in the room is very excited or angry) can only be described as "electric" but not "electrical"

A striking colour of blue can be "electric blue" but hardly "electrical blue".


The addition of "ness" usually makes a word more cumbersome. Certainly in the case of irony/ironicalness. We must do something to stop this silliness .... sill?

Barely dare to raise my voice, but, YAY, I knew this one (electric - electrical)...

This is all tending towards hysteria (or hystericalness)

We need a bit more practicalness

This is descending into pedanticness.

Or perhaps idioticalness.

Cynicalessness???

I hasten to remind you all that this apparent decline into chaos is not of my doing but is the insidious infectious residual result of our collectively recognising the serious absence of any rule or regulation to maintain order among the 'ics', the 'icals' and the 'icallies'.

To a well educated and well regulated people such as we, this sort of revelation is like looking into the abyss. Similar hysteriae overcame many so-called primitive peoples when men in black robes came to inform them that the gods were false.

It can be argued that any order is better than no order.

And while it is true that much Freedom lies in Chaos, an arch conservative like myself believes that regulation and form which has some 'reasonable foundation' will provide more stable parameters than the willy nilly willfulness of a lawless language. I therefore propose to future generations that they get a handle on these 'icals' before civical rebellion breaks out everywhere.


~jwf~

vomic
atomic
dystomic
entomic
phantomic
agronomic
anatomic
astronomic
autonomic
diatomic
economic
gastronomic
isonomic
metronomic
microtomic
monatomic
orthodromic
palindromic
taxonomic
tragicomic
triatomic
physiognomic
seriocomic
stereochromic
stereotomic

peptic
septic
skeptic
aseptic
dyspeptic
eupeptic
proleptic
sylleptic
analeptic
antiseptic
cataleptic
epileptic
metaleptic
narcoleptic
acataleptic



There are obviously more...

Have fun ~jwf~!

B

Less listingly:

"An" before aspirants - sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't. A lot depends on which vowel is being aspirated. I would talk about an historic occasion, but for some reason I would do it in a hotel, plaguesville is probably right - it may be to do with which syllable is stressed, rather than which vowel is aspirated.

Het as a past particial of heat makes total sense to me.

Ben
*het up and frantic*

Gazing and standing in awe.
Thunderstruck or dumbstruck, that's the question.

Frantic and frantically
Physic and physically
Logic and logically
Academic and academically

Ok, think I learned that lesson ironicly, ooops ironically.

As most here will know, I'm pretty hazy on formal grammar, but by pondering usage that sounds right to my mind's ear, there seems to me to be be a separation between 'electrical' and 'electric' that hinges at least partly on the generality of the thing being described

Electric motor/oven/light/lighting/blue/atmosphere/power station/fields

Electrical appliances/engineering/machines/power distribution

Although there is some conceptual overlap, 'electric' seems to be rather more specific about what is being described, whereas 'electrical' generally seems to cover concepts, or broad categories.

I've no idea whether there's a *proper* reason for that, but it does seem to be the way things are.

I hasten to add, I only said, "I always thought that het came from hectic" I didn't say that it was.....I stood corrected... by the warm particle...

>> ..there is some conceptual overlap..<<

As well as some transatlantic differences.
I understand and sympathise with British English speakers who would never have an electrical appliance when an electric one will suffice. Here in Canada the two words have become generally interchangable but 'electrical' is favoured when speaking of consumer electronics and household appliances.

Potholer suggested "concepts, or broad categories" and this reminded me again of how marketing and retailing impact on our language. The word 'electric' is naked and has some bad associations with potential electric dangers of shocks and fires. The word electrical, which is favoured by writers of advertising campaigns and Owner Instruction Manuals, seems to safely distance the consumer from the naked reality of electricity. It's almost as if 'modern electrical appliances' can act as a buffer between the consumer and the rawness of electric power.

Those "specific" items that have also remained 'electric' in Canada, such as trains and Potholer's other suggestions of motors, heaters and ovens, are those things which cannot be disguised as safe, soft and comfy. They are, by their nature and function, potentially dangerous and it is in everyone's best interest not to diffuse consumer awareness with these.


~jwf~

As a brief interlude to the plethora of ics, icals and so forth, I bring you an example of the fine art of headline writing as practiced by that most respected agency, the BBC.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3463121.stm

"Stray animal carers 'need rules'"

which brings to mind, for me at least, the image of roving bands of rough looking vetinary assistants out in the wilds of Britain.

Pedanticness, I like that one! What about pedanticity ? There's another ending we could discuss.

I'm not sure that 'electric' gets preferntially attached to *dangerous* devices, electric kettles are as safe as other kettles, electric light is probably the safest kind of lighting, etc.

One other angle I was thinking about - 'electrical' can feel a bit more direct in terms of the action of the electricity.
If I were to say 'electric XYZer' my simplest mental image would probably be of some black box where electricity goes in, and which performs the XYZ operation, but quite possibly in some indirect way, whereas 'electrical XYZer' would carry a bit more implication that a direct process enabled the electricity to do XYZ'

For example, 'electric hair dryer' fits easily with the standard design - electricity heats wire, wire heats air, hot air blown onto hair, hair gets dryer. On the other hand, 'electrical hair dryer' would carry some small hint that the drying might be directly accomplished by electricity being passed straight through the hair.

"What about pedanticity? There's another ending we could discuss."

Eh? What?
Certainly.
City.
Played brilliant t'other night. 10 men trounced Tottingham.
Thanks for giving me the opportunity.

An electrical engineer rather than an electric engineer, a sparky instead of a spark.