Dear Treasured TowerTalkians,
I must respond to my esteemed and respected colleague's note
regarding the apparent supercilious usage of certain terms peculiar to
Amateur Radio. W0UN has my utmost respect as a builder, theoretician and
practitioner of the radio arts. His concerns about "lightning vs
lightening" and the misuse of "forte" is appreciated and correct in my
part of the world.
Unfortunately the Sept. 2002 issue of QST hasn't made its way to
the west coast yet, so I can't comment upon K0OVQ's concerns regarding
"antennae vs antennas". I must object, however when John dons his
linguist lid and rails against a perfectly acceptable use of the term
"antennae" as applied to the plural of antenna.
ANTENNA (pl. -tennae, pr. -ten-ee, -tennas) 1) one of a pair of flexible
sensitive projections on the heads of insects, crustaceans, etc., a
feeler 2) wire(s) or rod(s) used to transmit or receive radio waves, an
aerial.
Definition from The Oxford American Dictionary, Heald Colleges
Edition 1980
I can find no notations confining one particular spelling to one
definition over another. In fact since most Amateur Radio Operators are
getting rather crusty as we age, the antennae spelling would be much
more accurate in defining our plural aerials along with those creepy
things leading the bugs about our abodes.
Disagreements pertaining to not only the spelling of terms, but
the pronunciations of them are generally filled with hilarity and mirth.
The example of how to say the word "hear" is an example. Several
American dialects say this word so that it rhymes with the word "year".
However this same word "hear", is also pronounced to sound like an
evolving gastronomical accident and not only is decoded correctly but is
expected to sound like that to the locals in certain areas of our country.
Discussions about such things maintain the rigor needed in any
field of endeavor, otherwise rigor mortis sets in and we are doomed.
For example perhaps soon "KISS" might be shortened to simply "KS". Is
this correct usage? Time and practice will tell.
73 and I remain,
Lew W7EW
KS
Dr. ("there are no bugs in my antennae") BigGun W7AT
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