Comments on: To hyphenate or not to hyphenate http://blog.launchpadcoworking.com/2007/10/28/to-hyphenate-or-not-to-hyphenate/ Coworking in Austin, Texas Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:40:20 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Julie Gomoll http://blog.launchpadcoworking.com/2007/10/28/to-hyphenate-or-not-to-hyphenate/comment-page-1/#comment-9 Julie Gomoll Sun, 04 Nov 2007 20:36:25 +0000 http://blog.launchpadcoworking.com/2007/10/28/to-hyphenate-or-not-to-hyphenate/#comment-9 I agree that hyphens are there for clarification purposes, but hyphens do eventually get dropped when they've served their purpose. Think no-one and blue-bird. Coincidentally, today's On Language column by the always conservative (politically and linguistically) William Safire included the following paragraph summing up a brief essay on the shoutout/shout-out: "But don't take my word for it; I was a college dropout. (That smarmy humility is a cop-out, a word not old enough to have lost its hyphen)" We aim to make the hyphen in coworking equally unnecessary :) I agree that hyphens are there for clarification purposes, but hyphens do eventually get dropped when they’ve served their purpose. Think no-one and blue-bird.

Coincidentally, today’s On Language column by the always conservative (politically and linguistically) William Safire included the following paragraph summing up a brief essay on the shoutout/shout-out:

“But don’t take my word for it; I was a college dropout. (That smarmy humility is a cop-out, a word not old enough to have lost its hyphen)”

We aim to make the hyphen in coworking equally unnecessary :)

]]> By: John D. Berry http://blog.launchpadcoworking.com/2007/10/28/to-hyphenate-or-not-to-hyphenate/comment-page-1/#comment-8 John D. Berry Thu, 01 Nov 2007 19:43:39 +0000 http://blog.launchpadcoworking.com/2007/10/28/to-hyphenate-or-not-to-hyphenate/#comment-8 I've always found myself reading "coworkers" as "cow-orkers," no matter how many times I encounter the word. I figure it's just that "cow" is more instantly recognizable than "worker" or even "work" – maybe because in human history we domesticated the cow before we domesticated the worker. (We're still working on the latter.) McGrath's article, though, is just silly. http://johndberry.com/blog/?p=33 John I’ve always found myself reading “coworkers” as “cow-orkers,” no matter how many times I encounter the word. I figure it’s just that “cow” is more instantly recognizable than “worker” or even “work” – maybe because in human history we domesticated the cow before we domesticated the worker. (We’re still working on the latter.)

McGrath’s article, though, is just silly.

http://johndberry.com/blog/?p=33

John

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