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From: Bob Cunningham <exw6sxq@earthlink.net>
Newsgroups: alt.languages.english
Subject: "separater" and "dictater" [was: Decline of the English language]
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References: <30rmshF33seh8U1@uni-berlin.de> <slrncqhd1b.27kg.pino@mud.stack.nl> <slrncqhe4i.pt4.chris@ccserver.keris.net>
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Date: Sat, 27 Nov 2004 19:14:47 GMT
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On Sat, 27 Nov 2004 17:25:38 +0000, Chris Croughton
<chris@keristor.net> said:
> On 27 Nov 2004 17:06:51 GMT, Martijn van Buul
> <pino@dohd.org> wrote:
> > Not really, but using a correct signature seperator is, apperently.
> I think you mean 'separator'...
A separator is a device that's used to separate cream from
milk. The "-or" suffix in general tends to imply a
specialized meaning. To express a simple agent noun it
seems better to use the "-er" suffix: "separater".
A similar situation exists with "dictator" vs "dictater". A
dictator is someone like Hitler, Mussolini, or Stalin. A
dictater, if the word existed, would be a person who
dictates anything, like a letter.
"Separater" is recognized by the _Oxford English
Dictionary_, but only as an alternative to "separator", not
with a different meaning. "Dictater" is not recognized by
any dictionary that I know of, but it should be.
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