There used to be a word for it

[Hammock_man]

Brea, bûter en griene tsiis is goed Ingelsk en goed Frysk

context and use the same, spelling some what altered. Words do drop out of usage, how many inner city children have been "up with the larks". Would you have them not know what a "byte" is. It's not like they have been removed from the Oxford dictionary, they are just not part the most common used 10,000 or 50,000 word which will fit in said book.

 

[santaman2000]

Give it a decade and it will be half full with textspeak and pointless acronyms

There was a time when the word "laser" was a pointless acronym (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) Likewise with words like "cop" (Constable On Patrol)

They do tend to become one of two things:
1) common words widely known, or
2) Completely obsolete if/when newer technology makes them irrelevant.

 

[santaman2000]

Thanks for explaining wraccents, sometimes that bugs me but at other times i find it fits purpose and adds context and character to the text, for example when i read the novels of Irving Welsh or my Our Willie comics as a kid

I think your comment is similar to how many of us feel. There is a difference between formal writing and casual writing and indeed a time and place for both. (As your comments also imply) I have to agree with others here that there doesn't seem to be enough emphasis on the former these days.

 

[boatman]

Cop may have come from the copper shields identifying New York Policemen.

 

[santaman2000]

Cop may have come from the copper shields identifying New York Policemen.

LOL. Possibly so, we were taught something similar in the academy. But we were taught it was the copper shields the London Police originally wore. NY Police and most American police used metals other than copper originally (such as brass or tin) and now use either brass (plated in shiny gold or silver colored metals) or a shiny gold or silver alloy. My reference to it being an acronym comes from the dictionary as it was printed in my youth some 40 to 50 years ago. Sadly that's another example of the changes to said dictionaries.

I really don't know what the true answer is.

 

[boatman]

My information comes from a biography of a New York Policeman I read about 55 years ago. Title a senior rank, possibly Inspector. Annoyingly I can remember almost all the details of the book but not be certain of the title.

 

[British Red]

A wraccent is when someone uses local dialect words or spells them to make what they type sound as they speak. Written accent in other words.

It is irritating, normally comes across as a form of aggressive inverted snobbery. It certainly seems intended to obscure communication rather than to enable it.

 

[santaman2000]

My information comes from a biography of a New York Policeman I read about 55 years ago. Title a senior rank, possibly Inspector.....

"Inspector" isn't a rank in any US department that I'm aware of but you could be right. Especially if it's an older one (the very word constable has a different meaning here now) If you can remember the name of that biography I'd love to read it though, it sounds interesting.

 

[brambles]

"Inspector" isn't a rank in any US department that I'm aware ...

US movies and TV tell me that Inspector is a rank in the San Francisco police ( Dirty Harry!) and a quick google confirms they still use it, as do the NYPD, Philadelphia PD, DC Metro, Detroit and a couple of other Californian PDs

 

[boatman]

I could almost rewrite the book.

As a recruit taught how to walk and to breathe.
Used from the academy, he was still in his recruit (cadet?) uniform, when he was drafted to help the police with a subway strike.
Fought a local tough with fists and told off by a fellow officer for not using his nightstick.
Became an investigator which seemed a rank below detective and not terribly respected
Took up smoking cigars when a detective on a stakeout.

etc.
Most irritating not to remember, wonder if the title was The Commissioner but may have watched too many Blue Bloods.

 

[santaman2000]

US movies and TV tell me that Inspector is a rank in the San Francisco police ( Dirty Harry!) and a quick google confirms they still use it, as do the NYPD, Philadelphia PD, DC Metro, Detroit and a couple of other Californian PDs

Just been looking that up myself. It appears that a couple of California cities did at one time use the term (LA and San Francisco) but L.A. changed it to "commander" as in the naval rank quite some time ago. The other California city, San Francisco, uses the title but not as a rank; it's a generic term for "detective." (Detectives still have ranks separate from the assignment to the detective squad)

It would appear that the departments that do still use it place it as an equivalent of either a Police Colonel (N.Y. City) or a Police Lt. Colonel (Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia, Pa.) which explains the aforementioned change in L.A. to the title Commander (the naval equivalent of Lt. Colonel)

 

[santaman2000]

I could almost rewrite the book.

As a recruit taught how to walk and to breathe.
Used from the academy, he was still in his recruit (cadet?) uniform, when he was drafted to help the police with a subway strike.
Fought a local tough with fists and told off by a fellow officer for not using his nightstick.
Became an investigator which seemed a rank below detective and not terribly respected
Took up smoking cigars when a detective on a stakeout.

etc.
Most irritating not to remember, wonder if the title was The Commissioner but may have watched too many Blue Bloods.

Thanks. I'd love to read it if you ever remember the name. That said, "detective" is an assignment and a detective might have any given rank from "officer" through Captain or higher. I suppose in the context he was using the difference between Investigator and Detective might be that the first is a newly assigned officer whereas the second has passed a department required probationary period? Just a guess.

Yeah, I like Blue Bloods too.

 

[santaman2000]

The terminology can get very confusing since the different departments use different terms (That's one of the reasons I'd truly love reading the book!) Generally though "detectives" is a "division" (also sometimes called a squad) within the department rather than a rank as such. A typical department might be divided into the following divisions or squads:
-Narcotics Squad
-Patrol Squad
-Vice Squad
-Executive Protection Squad (in the bigger departments that have a responsibility to provide security for the city mayor or state governor)

Some departments have other squads or other names. The confusion never ends.

An officer might spend a career going through all the departments trying to gain a broad experience to qualify for higher level promotions to a position with responsibility over several squads.

 

[boatman]

That was OT but:

Anyone wanting to refresh their knowledge of English words without imports from French, Latin etc. could do worse than having a look at "Plain Words, a Wealth of Words" by Bryan Evans. Not to reject the imports that have made English so rich but it is a great exercise to try to use a language so old and so modern.

 

[Tonyuk]

They've changed a few words in a cut down dictionary, when was the last time you ever saw anyone under 40 look at a printed dictionary anyway? 99% of time its the one built into Google that gets used, which of course has all of those words built in plus more. Not to mention that the full version will also have them, i really don't see a problem here at all

Tonyuk

 

[Goatboy]

I suppose Tony. I wont see 40 again but do quite enjoy sitting down with a dictionary and just reading through it.
What does irk though is that.despite most browsers supporting a spell checker folk don't use them. Or they say that due to being dyslexic that it's not their fault. A couple of friends who are dyslexic and know the form find that many aren't and are just being lazy. Then there's difference between words like they're, their and there. Some just were never taught or learned the proper usage it seems.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[boatman]

They've changed a few words in a cut down dictionary, when was the last time you ever saw anyone under 40 look at a printed dictionary anyway? 99% of time its the one built into Google that gets used, which of course has all of those words built in plus more. Not to mention that the full version will also have them, i really don't see a problem here at all

Tonyuk

They obviously benefit commercially from selling these dictionaries so many people,as juniors, may well be using them. Or they are an "Aunty" gift.

 

[Tengu]

Im sure kids who want to know about plants will either;

a) consult a nature tome
b) ask an adult
c) look online

I dont think they will consult a dictionary.

 

[Goatboy]

Im sure kids who want to know about plants will either;

a) consult a nature tome
b) ask an adult
c) look online

I dont think they will consult a dictionary.

Aye but the well known dictionary I was looking through was saying horse chestnuts were edible. Not good advice for folks reading it.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[boatman]

I cannot believe that there are not still some children who cherish the factual books they have been given or have access to. Both my wife and myself had copies of Odhams Junior Encyclopedia, she still has her book about the Universe and I had the history and archaeology volume of the Universal Home Encyclopedia.