Miscellaneous Entries.
jail; gaol. The first is the American spelling; the second is the British variant. Both words, of course, are pronounced /jayl/.
janissary (= a loyal, subservient follower) is the standard spelling. It is capitalized only when used to mean “a Turkish infantry soldier in the sultan’s guard.” “Janisary” and “janizary” are variant forms.
jarful. The plural is jarfuls, not jarsful.
jargonistic; jargonic; jargonish. The second and third, both much rarer than the first, are needless variants.
jealousy; envy. The careful writer distinguishes between these terms. “Jealousy” is properly restricted to contexts involving emotional rivalry; “envy” is used more broadly of resentful contemplation of a more fortunate person.
For information about the Language-Change Index click here.
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Quotation of the Day: “In the early twentieth century the emphasis shifted to the spoken language. Speech was viewed as the ‘real’ language; writing was at best a secondary shadow. In the past two decades, however, attention has shifted back to the written language and its orthography. The orthographic discipline appears to be experiencing a reawakening.” D.W. Cummings, American English Spelling 463 (1988).
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