• ItsMrChristmas@lemmy.zip
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    6 days ago

    Substance discovered by folks that called it alum or aluminum for literally five centuries then the Brits come galloping in to colonize the accepted name then try to look down on everyone else

    • Kirca@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      Cool narrative you got there mate, problem is while the term “alum” was used for (far more than) 5 centuries, the words “aluminium” and “aluminium” were both coined around the same time, roughly 1810ish. Also, Sir. Davy, who coined the phrase that you hold dear, was British.

      Tldr: every part of that statement is wrong

  • jsomae@lemmy.ml
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    6 days ago

    We canadians also say Aluminum and I would like to be represented in this comic as a target of mockery alongside the US thank you.

    • vithigar@lemmy.ca
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      6 days ago

      Let’s table that discussion.

      Tap for spoiler

      The meanings of “table” as a verb in US vs UK parliamentary usage are literally opposites. With the US meaning being to stop discussing or put aside for later, while the UK version means to begin discussing.

      This actually caused confusion during allied meetings in WWII.

  • Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works
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    7 days ago

    If you hate Americans because of this, of all things, then you’re going to lose your mind when you find out about everything that’s happened this year.

  • lefixxx@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    Aluminium is not the -ium of alumin

    Aluminium is the genericitation of aluminum.

    The actual -ium is of alum. The original name is alumium.

    Aluminum is a modification of alumiun, not aluminium

  • PumpkinSkink@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    I’m gonna take this chance to air my personal grievance with “Iodine”, which is commonly pronounced (in the US at least) “aye-o-dine”, but if we look at all of the other halogen, their “-ine” ending is pronounced “-een”, and therefore iodine should clearly be pronounced “aye-o-deen”.

  • Korhaka@sopuli.xyz
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    6 days ago

    Go and get some platinium and if you want to go old fashioned you may like aurium.

  • psychadlligoat@piefed.social
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    6 days ago

    Always find it funny how the French and British traditionally hate on each other but the British will defend to the death the stupid French shit we stole for our language

    the amount of times I’ve seen people get pissed off at the American English removal of the useless “u” is actually fucking silly

    • pulsewidth@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      The English ‘stole’ words from the French in the same way half the European world ‘stole’ Roman roads, words, and customs.

      They were colonised by the Normans you silly codswallop. The British retain French words because they were forced on them by the aristocracy a thousand years ago.

    • SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social
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      6 days ago

      It’s even sillier when you realize (hah!) that -or came from Latin, and -our came from Old French, and both had been used interchangeably in English for at least a century when Samuel Johnson decided to use -our in his dictionary, and Noah Webster decided to use -or. So Britons and Yankees are equally (in)correct.

    • BeardedGingerWonder@feddit.uk
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      6 days ago

      I mean we hate on the french, but it’s mostly good natured ribbing. Also wasn’t most of the french imposed on us post invasion rather than stealing?

    • WoodScientist@sh.itjust.works
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      6 days ago

      “Aluminium” sounds like something a fantasy writer would call aluminum in their novel just to make it sound magical.

  • ximtor@lemm.ee
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    6 days ago

    It confused me a bit when reading the Mistborn series. Wtf is aluminum and why have i never heard of that? Do they just call Aluminium differently because of story reasons? Did i miss something? Are the other metals correct?

    Good books tho

    • HiTekRedNek@lemmy.world
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      6 days ago

      Aluminum is the original name for the element. It was changed to be more in line with the others in its group.

    • gens@programming.dev
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      6 days ago

      Like in the tv shows when they say “epinephrine”, and I was like wtf is that? for years.

      And later on with the amazing metal called tungsten. Why have I never heard of it?

      (Its andrenaline and wolfram)

  • SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
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    6 days ago

    The five syllable elements are all weird radioactive things. If Al has five syllables it might make my beer can radioactive or poisonous. Better keep the syllable count on Al to four or less like all of the other normal elements.