Klarinet Archive - Posting 000445.txt from 2004/03

From: <tony-w@------.co.uk>
Subj: Re: [kl] English and American
Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2004 14:49:58 -0500


From: Bob Davenport <bob@------.freeserve.co.uk>

>On 2004.03.05 08:34, tony-w@------.co.uk wrote:
>> Just one more example - clarinetist and clarinettist - which is correct?
>> They can`t both be!!
>
>(As he attempts to drag this thread back on-topic...) As I
>understand it, the general orthographic rule in British English
>is to double a final consonant when adding a suffix whenever the
>vowel is short

In fact The Oxford Miniguide to English Usage says:
Doubling of final consonant
1. When certain suffixes beginning with a vowel are added to nouns,
adjectives, adverbs, and verbs, the final consonant of the stem word is
doubled before the suffix:
(a) if the preceding vowel is written with a single letter (or single
letter preceded by qu) and
(b) if that vowel bears the main stress (hence all monosyllables are
included).
So bed, bedding but head, heading; occur, occurred but offer, offered;
befit, befitted but benefit, benefited.
Suffixes which cause this doubling include:
(a) The verb inflexions -ed, -ing, e.g
begged, begging revved, revving equipped, equipping trek, trekking
(b) The adjective and adverb suffixes -er, -est, e.g. sadder, saddest.
(c) Various derivational suffixes, especially -able, -age, -en, -er, -ery,
-ish, -y, e.g.
clubbable tonnage sadden trapper
waggery priggish shrubby
Exception: bus makes bused, busing.
2. Words of more than one syllable, not stressed on the last syllable, do
not double the final consonant, unless it is l, when a suffix beginning
with a vowel is added, e.g.
biased blossoming combated focusing
gossipy wainscoted
lettered wickedest
pilotage womanish
Exception: worship makes worshipped, -ing.
Note that some other words in which the final syllable has a full vowel
(not obscure e or i), some of which are compounds, also double the final
consonant, e.g.
handicap hobnob horsewhip humbug
kidnap periwig
leapfrog sandbag
nonplus zigzag
* Amer. sometimes kidnaped, kidnaping, worshiped, worshiping.
3. Consonants that are never doubled are h, w, x, y.
4. When endings beginning with a vowel are added, lI is always doubled
after a single vowel wherever the stress falls, e.g.
controllable flannelled
jeweller panelling
Note also woollen, woolly.
Exceptions: parallel makes paralleled, -ing; devil makes devilish; some
(rare) superlatives such as brutalest, loyalest, civil(l )est.
* In Amer. spelling l obeys the same rules as the other consonants (except
h, w, x, y), e.g. traveler, marvelous, but compelling, pally.
Note also Amer. woolen (but woolly).
5. A silent final consonant is not doubled. Endings are added as if the
consonant were pronounced, e.g.
crocheted, -ing précised
rendezvouses (third person singular) rendezvousing
That'll learn you!

No it won`t - I`ll bet you all of these 'rules' has only 'pronunciation' at
it`s origins. Spelling MUST be of secondary importance. It`s possible to
corrupt the pronunciation of ALL your examples without the doubling of the
final consonant. Without correct pronunciation, we misunderstand.
A