=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= EDline Vol. 2, no. 29 (20 July 1997) Editorial mailing list Published by the Electric Editors =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Contents: Q & A---Previous queries [2ad] Pet peeve [2af] Decades [2ag] The attributive sixties [2ai] Units in computing Q & A---New queries [2aj] "The Complete Plain Words" FYI [3aj] International Writing Program [3ak] Electronic publishing conference Business matters---New query [4t] Pricing CRC [4u] Fidelity bonding [5] Bookmarks [6] Just for fun [8] Administration =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ---[2] Q & A --------------------------------------------------------- ** [2ad] Pet peeve Date: Mon, 14 July 1997 From: Anne Waddingham, Waddingham@compuserve.com What about people who pronounce "anemone" as "an-en-om-y"? And what about "February" which rarely retains its first r when spoken? But then, in blissful ignorance, I pronounced "pronunciation" as "pronounciation" for years, so what do I know! +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ ** [2af] Decades Date: Mon, 14 July 1997 From: Anne Waddingham, Waddingham@compuserve.com Surely the first decade of the 20th century is known as the "nineteen hundreds"? Why not the "twenty hundreds" then? ----------------------- Date: Sun, 20 July 1997 From: Jane Kerr, bywater@zetnet.co.uk I always thought that expressions like "seventeen hundreds" referred to the entire century, rather than just the first 10 years. +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ ** [2ag] The attributive sixties Date: Mon, 14 July 1997 From: Joy Burrough-Boenisch, burrough@wnet.bos.nl Naomi Laredo wrote: > Dutch uses apostrophes for plurals of words ending in a single > vowel other than e. [...] > So the plural of "baby" is indeed "baby's", y being considered a > vowel here, but the plural of the foreign words "computer" and > "disk", which don't end in a vowel, is "computers" and "disks". > The plural of the [?] Dutch word "collega" is "collega's". Naomi is right to query my simplistic reasoning. Here's the chapter and verse for all those interested in Dutch apostrophes. I'm quoting (translating/paraphrasing) from Jan Renkema's book 'Schrijfwijzer' (= style guide) , published 1995 by the Dutch Government Printer (Sdu) in Den Haag, pp 174-176, in which he gives the following rules for the use of the apostrophe to form plurals. My comments appear in square brackets. 1. To avoid inappropriate pronounciation when adding a plural s. So words ending with a, e, i, o, u or y preceded by a consonant or a syllable boundary: collega's, alinea's, ave's, taxi's, foto's, paraplu's, hobby's. [Note that most of these words are borrowed from other languages: Latin, English and French. ] ...Words such as essays, jockeys and sprays do not take an apostrophe, because the y is preceded by a vowel. Hence the distinction [in Dutch] between Scottish whisky's and Irish whiskeys. 2. The apostrophe is not used for words that form their plural with an s if these words end with an e with an acute accent, an ee, or an e that is a schwa. Hence cafes [accent on the e!], dominees, garages. 3. [Renkema's rule 5: the intervening rules have nothing to do with forming plurals] To form plurals from acronyms: cd's 4. [Renkema's rule 7] To disambiguate unusual plurals: al die ach's en oh's, duizend misschien's, vele dank-u-wel's. Dutch authors have problems with the plural apostrophe and frequently transfer it into English. Here are some authentic examples from my collection of 'Dunglish': The initial ratio's were less than 40. They often dispose of bare money and own luxury goods like radio's, stereo's and even TV's. Floppy disk's can be sent by post. In the first two examples the authors have transferred Dutch rules to English. In the third the author has got confused. 'Floppydisk' is an accepted Dutch word, and the author has recognised that it's borrowed from the English. He's correctly split it into two words for the English text, but has then tried to form the plural in a misguided Dutch way. +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ ** [2ai] Units in computing Date: Tue, 8 July 1997 From: Andrew Spink, aspink@baan.nl A useful source for correct (or at least frequently used) computer terms is The Microsoft Manual of Style for technical publications. Microsoft Press, 1995. It is also available on disk, which is handy. That publicaitons recommends the following: Bits per second bps Gigabits Gbit Do not use abbreviation; always spell out. Gigabytes GB Kilobits Kbit Do not use abbreviation; always spell out. Kilobytes K Use no space between numeral and abbreviation, for example, 175K. Kilobytes per second Kbps Megabits Mbit Do not use abbreviation; always spell out. Megabytes MB Megabytes per second Mbps +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ ** [2aj] "The Complete Plain Words" Date: Thurs, 17 July 1997 From: Joy Burrough-Boenisch, burrough@wnet.bos.nl My hardback edition of 'The Complete Plain Words' was published in 1973. I believe there's a Penguin version, published in 1987. Does anyone out there have a copy? If so, could I please have full bibliographic details, and could you find out on what page the following appears (it's on p. 184 in the hardback): Avoid as far as possible the practice of separating a pair of hyphenated words, leaving a hyphen in mid-air. To do this is to misuse the hyphen (whose proper function is to link a word with its immediate neighbour) and it has a slovenly look. The saving of one word cannot justify writing "Where chaplains (whole- or part-time) have been appointed". Thanks! ---[3] FYI -------------------------------------------------------- ** [3aj] International Writing Program Date: Tue, 15 July 1997 From: Iain Brown, i_brown@compuserve.com [Cross-posted from Humanist Discussion Group] The International Writing Program (IWP) at the University of Iowa and the University of Iowa Libraries have joined talents to create The IWP Homepage. The impetus for this project is a shared desire to provide access to selected original texts of the participant IWP authors. The IWP Homepage also details information about the program itself as well as research information on writing. The library is including these texts as part of an initiative to provide broad access to original texts in electronic format. The International Writing Program is including the writings as an integral part of their new Homepage. Also included in this collaborative project: IWP Annual Report; The Gallery (photos of participants); Roster of Writers; Author Biographies; Staff Profiles; Program Description; the program's literary magazine, "100 Words"; Internet links to writing programs including Writing at the University of Iowa. The page includes a selection of writings from the 35 participant authors in the 1996 International Writing Program. Also contained in the homepage collection are the writings of IWP Director, Clark Blaise and Rowena Torrevillas, the IWP Program Associate. Selected works of participating international writers from this renowned writing program can now be viewed by students and scholars from anywhere in the world. Information concerning this project can be obtained by visiting the IWP Homepage or by contacting IWP Program Associate, Rowena Torrevillas (rowena-torrevillas@uiowa.edu) or IRIS Team Leader for Research Services Librarian, Lissa Lord (lissa-lord@uiowa.edu). +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ ** [3ak] Electronic publishing conference Gates vs.Gutenburg? The impact of electronic publishing on the scientific community A half-day John Mason Conference in connection with the British Association Annual Festival of Science is being held at the University of Leeds on the afternoon of Thursday 11 September, entitled "Gates vs.Gutenburg? The impact of electronic publishing on the scientific community" Please e-mail, fax or mail the Executive Secretary of the Academia, Peter Colyer, for further details e-mail: ACADEUR@Compuserve.com Mail: Academia Europaea, 31 Old Burlington Street, London W1X 1LB Fax: 0171 287 5115 ---[4] Business matters ---------------------------------------------- ** [4t] Pricing CRC Date: Tue, 15 July 1997 From: Shena Deuchars, deuchar@bcs.org.uk Can anyone please help? I have been asked to edit (on-screen) and produce CRC from an author's Word 7.0 disks. I am OK with quoting a price for the editing itself, but wondered what other people do about pricing when asked to produce the CRC. ----------------------- Date: Sun, 20 July 1997 From: Iain Brown, i_brown@compuserve.com I recently completed a job where I had to provide the CRC. Unfortunately I was only being paid a flat fee---which in the end did not pay off. I assume you have to lay the pages out. Therefore, I would charge at least 15 pounds an hour for such computer work, and then either a small sum per page printed out as the CRC (5p, perhaps), or charge for the time the CRC takes to print out. I have used the latter method in the past, and find it the best way: I can't leave my printer alone when doing CRC print-outs, otherwise it becomes lonely ... I too would be interested to know how others approach this matter. +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ ** [4u] Fidelity bonding Date: Tue, 15 July 1997 From: Iain Brown, i_brown@compuserve.com The following posting was received on the Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing, and I thought it might be of interest to EDline readers. [Cross-posted from SHARP-L] > Has anyone ever heard about fidelity bonding for a freelance > editor-indexer. What type of business insurance does a freelance > editor/indexer need in order to provide confidence to his > clients. > > Below is an outline of my normal spew to a potential client > > Any profession opinions would be appreciated. > > >> Editor, Address & e-mail & phone & fax & http:// of the publisher >> >> Dear Publisher, >> >> May I humbly ask for a moment of your time? >> >> I am a contingency-fee editor and indexer. I have written an >> efficient computer program for fiction and nonfiction and >> script editors, which I use to edit and index. I contract >> for a percentage of the cash flows to the author and to share >> in the authorship. I am only paid IF my work is marketable. >> >> If you are interested, please put my name in your working >> files or better yet, forward this e-mail back to me. >> >> Sincerely, >> David Cummings, M.S.A., M.C.A., A.B.D., C.P.A. >> CONTINGENCY-FEE EDITOR & INDEXER How do editors and publishers feel about this arrangement? Is it becoming more common? ---[5] Bookmarks ----------------------------------------------------- This week, the _correct_ URL for the new Electric Editors fun page: < http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/bywater/ee_res9a.htm > The Printing Historical Society: < http://www.rdg.ac.uk/~ltssmimm > ---[6] Just for fun -------------------------------------------------- _Faux pas_ of the week Date: Fri, 18 July 1997 From: Jane Kerr, bywater@zetnet.co.uk My latest assignment contains enough faux-pas to supply EDline for a very long time to come. Here's one: NREN was envisaged as a way [...] to provide a educational facility for both schools and the public. (Obviously much needed!) And another: ... personal computers are becoming ever more ubiquitous ... (Think about it.) +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ Date: Thurs, 17 July 1997 From: Eddie Kent, eddie.kent@mcr1.poptel.org.uk Similes you can trust. Simon Barnes: 'Watching golf is like being told a dirty joke in the language of the !Kung Bushmen.' [Idle curiousity on the subject of golf: does anyone know why golfers refer to below-par scores as 'birdies', 'eagles' and 'albatrosses'?---JK] +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ "Worst analogies ever written in a high school essay", no. 10 Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever. [I know that feeling!] ---[8] Administration ------------------------------------------------ EDline provides the opportunity for a weekly online discussion of matters editorial and editorial business. * POSTING MESSAGES TO THE LIST All messages to be posted to the list should be sent to either Jane Kerr, at: bywater@zetnet.co.uk or Iain Brown, at: i_brown@compuserve.com Include as the subject line, "EDline [topic]", where [topic] is the subject under discussion. Topics might include areas such as Grammar, Spelling, American English or Punctuation. Messages should be pertinent to the basic premise of the list; they may be withheld, or redirected if more pertinent to one of the other mailing lists. The spelling and grammar of messages will *not* be corrected, but some editing of length may be undertaken. Quoting from previous messages: quote as much as you need to make the context of your reply clear, but no more. * Administration All messages of a subscription or administrative nature should be directed to Iain Brown at: i_brown@compuserve.com with "EDline ADMIN" in the subject line. * To subscribe to Grapevine To subscribe to Grapevine, the discussion list concerned with matters computing, please e-mail Electric Editors at: ElectricEds@bigfoot.com with [Subscribe Grapevine] in the subject line. * To subscribe to LANGline To subscribe to LANGline, which discusses modern languages, translation and editing in non-English languages, please e-mail Electric Editors at: ElectricEds@bigfoot.com with [Subscribe LANGline] in the subject line. *Homepage and back issues: Visit the Electric Editors at: < http://www.ikingston.demon.co.uk/ee/home.htm > Back issues of all three mailing lists are available on the Mailing Lists archive page. --------- ** The views expressed in this mailing list are strictly those of the individual contributors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the moderators or of the Electric Editors. ** Articles (c) 1997, by individual contributors Design (c) 1996, 1997 Iain Brown =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= END OF EDline 2.29 Next issue: 27 July 1997 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=