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Newcomer
Level 3 Member
United Kingdom
109 Posts |
 Posted - 05 February 2010 : 11:10:33
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Friday morning and I've just walked down to the little weekly market on Raunds' town square. In front of the butcher's stall was a rack of pheasants and partridges for sale by the brace. On the price ticket, although "partridge" was spelled correctly, I had to laugh out loud at the attempt at "pheasant". Including the obligatory grocer's apostrophe, it read "Fezant's".
Incredible. With the evaporation of all literacy in this country, I give it about three generations until we're reduced to trying to communicate with each other in pictograms like the ancient Egyptians.
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m3rry3rry
Advanced Member
652 Posts |
Posted - 05 February 2010 : 12:18:23
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About three generations ago they wouldn't have batted an eyelid at "peasants"!
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FAIRPLAY
Moderator
United Kingdom
1293 Posts |
Posted - 05 February 2010 : 15:43:37
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I took a photo of a white Fezant a few days ago down Polpit in Titchmarsh.
Hundreds of Fezants down there all bred for shooting.I'm led to believe shooting a white pheasant is against the rules or bad luck or something like that.
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m3rry3rry
Advanced Member
652 Posts |
Posted - 05 February 2010 : 17:12:14
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It's certainly bad luck for the pheasant/ fezant!
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splunge
Level 3 Member
154 Posts |
Posted - 08 February 2010 : 18:05:05
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Ah the new type of Fezant bred by that popular comedian and sometimes magician T Cooper Esq!
Latin name: Thomoserii Juzlikethaterus.
OK, OK pretty lame I know but it wa the "fez" in Fezant that kicked the idea off.
I suppose I could have gone down the the more logical route that they were in fact Turkish Pheasants.
Work that one out for yourselves!
splunge |
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Richardksa
Advanced Member
Spain
1305 Posts |
Posted - 08 February 2010 : 21:33:14
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quote:
Originally posted by splunge
I suppose I could have gone down the the more logical route that they were in fact Turkish Pheasants.
But Fez is in Morocco!
Growing old is compulsory. Growing up is optional.
See http://aviewofmadrid.blogspot.com/
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Robin King
Advanced Member
United Kingdom
8100 Posts |
Posted - 09 February 2010 : 01:22:15
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Surely "Fez are in Morocco."?
Robin |
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Richardksa
Advanced Member
Spain
1305 Posts |
Posted - 09 February 2010 : 09:49:42
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Of course, this is all down to the crazy English spelling we have inherited from our forebears. Here in Spain pheasant is spelt "Faisán". Until I moved here and started teaching our language I accepted our spelling "as is". Spanish is written in a phonetic, or "fonético" way. Surely this is much more sensible.
George Bernard Shaw became quite voluble about this a century ago when he suggested that English spelling should become phonetic and, to him (and me) sensible. He gave the example that in our present system of spelling the word "Ghoti" would be pronounced "fish", taking the GH from "enough", the O from "women", and the TI from "station".
We may be amused by the market trader's spelling (although he should be shot for the use of the apostrophe ["apóstrofo" in Spanish]), but he is making a a small step for mankind in the sensible spelling of English. It just isn't logical that PH gives us an F sound. Why not just write an F as the Spanish do?
I teach a class on the words in English that contain "...OUGH..." and the students just shake their heads in disbelief!
If the Plain English Campaign really want to make English more intelligible they should be pressing for a change in our spelling to something logical.
Growing old is compulsory. Growing up is optional.
See http://aviewofmadrid.blogspot.com/
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Edited by - Richardksa on 09 February 2010 09:51:15 |
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splunge
Level 3 Member
154 Posts |
Posted - 09 February 2010 : 09:51:52
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OK clever dicks, Fez is in Morocco but my slant on Fez was from a Turkish perspective i.e. they wore them greatly as headwear in that country.
My God what a bunch of fedants you are becoming.
Well, that's enuf of that already!
splunge |
Edited by - splunge on 09 February 2010 09:53:21 |
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Robin King
Advanced Member
United Kingdom
8100 Posts |
Posted - 09 February 2010 : 11:52:50
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Hence my request for pluralisation.
How dare you call me a pedant - you, you, you old man, you...
Robin |
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splunge
Level 3 Member
154 Posts |
Posted - 09 February 2010 : 14:08:26
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If the Fez fits etc
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"Fezant's"