Klarinet Archive - Posting 000298.txt from 2004/03

From: Erik Tkal <bbtkal@------.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] English and American
Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2004 10:54:26 -0500

tony-w@------.co.uk wrote:

>Just one more example - clarinetist and clarinettist - which is correct?
>They can`t both be!!
>

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The OED shows only "clarinettist" as being correct, though the American
Heritage Dictionary of the English Language says both are acceptable.
Additional forms of words are always a point of contention with
linguists, the argument usually being that the minimal form that removes
ambiguity would be the best. "Clarinetist" might be acceptably pronounce
with a long "e", but "clarinettist" removes this possibility. Likewise,
I have seen discussion of "traveler" being the desired spelling, yet
"traveller" is often used.

Erik (a devout prescriptivist when it comes to linguistics)