> Google is suggesting the spelling is 'derailleur' rather than > 'derailer' whilst the top result says the opposite.
Actually the top result is Sheldon's semi-humorous suggestion that English speakers should standardise on an Anglicised version of a widely used French word that has never given most of us any trouble. Search for derailleur and you won't be prompted to check out derailer. Even my spelling checker tells me it's dérailleur (note the authentic French accent) rather than derailleur or derailer.
On Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:12:52 +0000 Phil W Lee <phil(at)lee-family(dot)me(dot)uk> wrote:
> Well, since most of us don't use keyboards that make accents > particularly convenient, the authentic spelling is not available. > A franglais version without the accent would be possible but truly > horrible in either language, so why not use the English term meaning > exactly the same thing?
Because English speakers have been using the "horrible Franglais" version pretty much since the thing was invented?
> Do you use the french words for wheel, spoke, hub, pedal, crank, > chainwheel, sprocket, brake, chain, frame, or handlebar? > Why use the french word for a particular type of gearchange mechanism?
English has been adopting French words for a while now, deal with it. Or do you think we need an English version of L'Académie française to safeguard the purity of our language? Maybe we should get rid of all the Latin words too, and get back to our Celtic roots.
Phil W Lee wrote: > Why use the french word for a particular type of gearchange mechanism?
As a warning that it is an awful Foreign device that deliberately runs the chain out of line - something that no true Briton would consider doing while there are still Sturmey-Archer gears on this Earth.
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