Spelling (PR#6570)

-----Original Message-----
From: r-devel-bounces@stat.math.ethz.ch 
[mailto:r-devel-bounces@stat.math.ethz.ch] On Behalf Of 
MSchwartz@medanalytics.com
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2004 10:48 PM
To: r-devel@stat.math.ethz.ch
Cc: R-bugs@biostat.ku.dk
Subject: Re: [Rd] Spelling (PR#6570)


On Tue, 2004-02-10 at 21:14, Deepayan Sarkar wrote: 

On Tuesday 10 February 2004 20:25, Roger D. Peng wrote:

Unfortunately, with English it's conceivable that they're both 
correct.  But the double 't' sounds/looks *more* correct 

to me. Of 

course, this is coming from a native English speaker who is 
generally unfamiliar with the rules of English.

On the other hand:

test --> testable?
arrest --> arrestable?
contest --> contestable?
detest --> detestable?
...

So maybe the single 't' is correct.  Did that clear things up?

This is probably not a valid comparison, since test->testing whereas
set->setting.

Oxford (OED) lists the word 'settable' but not 'setable'. 

subsettable 

(or
subsetable) is obviously an artificial word (we use subset 

as a verb), but 

presumably invented derivatives of 'subset' should behave 

in a manner similar 

to those of 'set'.

Deepayan

OK...wait a minute.  I just found the following at:

http://grammar.uoregon.edu/spelling1.html

[Go Ducks!]

To Wit:

DOUBLING A FINAL CONSONANT WHEN ADDING A SUFFIX: from 
"Correct Spelling Made Easy" (p. 69)


1) The word must end in just one consonant.
        
Compel (l + ed or ing) = Compelled; Compelling

But Not : Resist (+ ed or ing) = Resisted; Resisting
        
        
2) There must be only one vowel before the final single consonant.
        
Refer (r + ed or ing) = Referred; Referring

But Not: Appear = Appeared; Appearing
        

3) The last syllable of the verb must receive the accent.
        
Commit (accent on mit) = Committed; Committing
        
But Not: Profit = Profited; Profiting
        
        
4) The suffix to be added must start with a vowel--in order 
to double the final consonant.
        
Defer (r + ed) = Deferred

But Not: Defer + ment) Deferment


So, if these rules are correct, it should be "subsetable", as 
'subset' meets 1, 2 and 4, but fails 3, as the accented 
syllable according to various dictionaries is 'sub' and not 'set'.

Is it too late to change my vote?

Thus, 'testing' fails due to rule 1 ('st'), whereas it is 
'setting' due to 'et'.

HTH,

Marc

<I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming 
of...well...programming...>