Alt.usage.english
Encyclopedia
The Usenet
newsgroup
alt.usage.english is devoted to discussion of the English language
, especially its usage
. It was newgrouped (begun) on May 11, 1991 by David Bedno.
The newsgroup frequently strays off-topic; sometimes off-topic discussions last for weeks. Indeed, many threads are begun with off-topic messages. Traditionally, sheep and food have been considered on-topic.
Among its on-topic posts are reports of odd usage (including mishy-phens and eggcorn
s) and questions from people learning English as a second language. There is much information regarding the similarities and differences among United States, United Kingdom, and other varieties of English
. Corrections of another poster's grammar, spelling, and style are usually considered acceptable (as they usually are not elsewhere on Usenet), but may lead to disagreements and instances of Skitt's law, as it's called in AUE. Group members often participate in word games such as "Govende" (unique to AUE) or pun
-filled conversations.
There is a web site associated with the newsgroup —
AUE contributors, occasional or regular, have included Reinhold Aman
, Dennis Báthory-Kitsz
, Peter T. Daniels
(when threads are crossposted to the newsgroup
, and James Follett
. There are many more erstwhile and current regulars in the group, with varying interests and styles. Photographs of some regulars can be found on the group's web site.
Professionals sometimes visit AUE to share their knowledge or get information about English usage. Among them are John Lawler
, a linguist
at the University of Michigan; Jesse Sheidlower
, the North American editor of the Oxford English Dictionary
; and Paul Brians, a professor at Washington State University
who maintains a Web site on common errors in English. ASCII IPA
was developed under the leadership of an AUE regular for use there and in
Each September, the Totally Official Summer Doldrums Competition enlivens or infests the newsgroup; it consists of questions that contestants race to answer correctly.
Usenet
Usenet is a worldwide distributed Internet discussion system. It developed from the general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name.Duke University graduate students Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis conceived the idea in 1979 and it was established in 1980...
newsgroup
Newsgroup
A usenet newsgroup is a repository usually within the Usenet system, for messages posted from many users in different locations. The term may be confusing to some, because it is usually a discussion group. Newsgroups are technically distinct from, but functionally similar to, discussion forums on...
alt.usage.english is devoted to discussion of the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, especially its usage
Usage
Usage is the manner in which written and spoken language is used. H. W. Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage "defines usage as 'points of grammar, syntax, style, and the choice of words'". The Oxford Dictionary of English defines usage as "the way in which a word or phrase is normally and...
. It was newgrouped (begun) on May 11, 1991 by David Bedno.
The newsgroup frequently strays off-topic; sometimes off-topic discussions last for weeks. Indeed, many threads are begun with off-topic messages. Traditionally, sheep and food have been considered on-topic.
Among its on-topic posts are reports of odd usage (including mishy-phens and eggcorn
Eggcorn
In linguistics, an eggcorn is an idiosyncratic substitution of a word or phrase for a word or words that sound similar or identical in the speaker's dialect. The new phrase introduces a meaning that is different from the original, but plausible in the same context, such as "old-timers' disease" for...
s) and questions from people learning English as a second language. There is much information regarding the similarities and differences among United States, United Kingdom, and other varieties of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. Corrections of another poster's grammar, spelling, and style are usually considered acceptable (as they usually are not elsewhere on Usenet), but may lead to disagreements and instances of Skitt's law, as it's called in AUE. Group members often participate in word games such as "Govende" (unique to AUE) or pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
-filled conversations.
There is a web site associated with the newsgroup —
http://alt-usage-english.org — which incorporates, among many other things, lists of frequently asked questions about the English language.AUE contributors, occasional or regular, have included Reinhold Aman
Reinhold Aman
Reinhold Aman is a former chemical engineer and professor of German, and the publisher of Maledicta, a scholarly journal dedicated entirely to the study of offensive language.-Career:...
, Dennis Báthory-Kitsz
Dennis Báthory-Kitsz
Dennis Báthory-Kitsz Dennis Báthory-Kitsz (born March 14, 1949, Plainfield, New Jersey) Dennis Báthory-Kitsz (born March 14, 1949, Plainfield, New Jersey) (pseudonyms: Dennis Bathory, Dennis Kitsz, Dennis J. Kitsz, Dennis Bathory Kitsz, Kalvos Gesamte, Grey Shadé, D.B...
, Peter T. Daniels
Peter T. Daniels
Peter T. Daniels is a scholar of writing systems, specializing in typology. He was co-editor of the book The World's Writing Systems , and he introduced the terms abjad and abugida as modern linguistic terms...
(when threads are crossposted to the newsgroup
sci.lang - a practice strongly objected to by many participants), Lars EighnerLars Eighner
Lars Eighner is the author of Travels with Lizbeth, a memoir of homelessness in the American Southwest during the late 1980s; the included essay "On Dumpster Diving," which is widely anthologized both at full length and in abridged form under the title "My Daily Dives in the Dumpster"; Pawn to...
, and James Follett
James Follett
James Follett is an author and screenwriter, born in 1939 in Tolworth, England.Follett became a full-time fiction writer in 1976, after resigning from contract work as a technical writer for the British Ministry of Defence. He has since written over 20 novels, several television plays, and many...
. There are many more erstwhile and current regulars in the group, with varying interests and styles. Photographs of some regulars can be found on the group's web site.
Professionals sometimes visit AUE to share their knowledge or get information about English usage. Among them are John Lawler
John Lawler
John Lawler is a retired University of Michigan general linguist who is perhaps best known to the wider public for his role in creating the Chomskybot...
, a linguist
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
at the University of Michigan; Jesse Sheidlower
Jesse Sheidlower
Jesse Sheidlower is an author and editor specializing in English linguistics and lexicography. From 1999 until 2005 he was Principal North American Editor at the Oxford English Dictionary; since 2005 he has been an editor-at-large, focusing on North American usage. He is a frequently cited expert...
, the North American editor of the Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
; and Paul Brians, a professor at Washington State University
Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
who maintains a Web site on common errors in English. ASCII IPA
Kirshenbaum
Kirshenbaum, sometimes called ASCII-IPA or erkIPA, is a system used to represent the International Phonetic Alphabet in ASCII. This way it allows typewriting IPA-symbols by regular keyboard. It was developed for Usenet, notably the newsgroups sci.lang and alt.usage.english...
was developed under the leadership of an AUE regular for use there and in
sci.lang.Each September, the Totally Official Summer Doldrums Competition enlivens or infests the newsgroup; it consists of questions that contestants race to answer correctly.