Miscellaneous Entries.
transatlantic; *trans-Atlantic. The former is the standard spelling — on both sides of the Atlantic. “Transpacific” follows the same standard.
transcendent; transcendental. “Transcendent” = surpassing or excelling others of its kind; preeminent. It is loosely used by some writers in the sense “excellent.” “Transcendental” = supernatural; mystical; metaphysical; superhuman. The adverbial forms are “transcendently” and “transcendentally.”
transcript; transcription. The former is the written copy, the latter the process of producing it.
transfer, n.; *transferral; *transferal; transference. The first is the standard term. The second and third are needless variants — though if you must use one, *”transferral” is the better spelling. “Transference” justifies its separate existence primarily in psychological contexts, in the sense “the redirection of feelings or desires” {one twin felt guilt by transference even though he was nowhere near when his brother committed the crime}.
transfer, v.t., is traditionally accented on the second syllable, hence the past-tense spelling “transferred,” not *”transfered.”
transferable. According to the standard dictionaries, the word is so spelled — not *”transferrable” or *”transferrible.” This despite the accent on the second syllable: /tranz-FUHR-uh-buhl/. In this way, the word is anomalous.
*Invariably inferior form.
For information about the Language-Change Index click here.
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Quotation of the Day: “‘The man I am talking about’ is infinitely better English than ‘The man about whom I am talking,’ as should be apparent to all familiar with good speech, listening to the two forms. Yet legions of our young folk will leave school having firmly implanted in their heads [that the latter is] the more elegant, dressy, scholar-like way of saying it. Richard Burton, Why Do You Talk Like That? 186-87 (1929).
