Henke 2022k

Mr. Lundahl Won’t Even Use His Own Oxford English Dictionary and Spell Correctly: The “Carreer” Example

Kevin R. Henke

September 15, 2022

Among the many inexcusable and sloppy misspellings in Lundahl (2022a-p), the misspelling of “career” as “carreer” in the very title of Lundahl (2022d) stands out. Rather than admitting his mistakes and committing himself to responsibly do a spell check in the future, Mr. Lundahl in his May 16, 2022 (6:47 AM US Eastern time) email attempts to excuse the inexcusable:

“Carreer or career comes from French "carrière". The etymon having double r, the English version should have such a spelling variant too, and I am not complying by Merriam Webster.”

He then further adds:

“Right now I can't consult the Oxford English Dictionary for "carreer", I will, but when the work for a certain bird has the versions "feasant, phaisant, faisant, pheasant" I am confident it has more spellings than ‘career’.”

In a later email on May 16, 2022 (7:23 AM US Eastern time), Mr. Lundahl inserts the following link to an essay that he wrote in an attempt to excuse his misspelling of “career”:

https://creavsevolu.blogspot.com/p/my-carreer-shouldnt-depend-on-merriam.html

My Carreer Shouldn't Depend on Merriam Webster Spelling

I have the habit of spelling the word as "carreer" very probably because I am influenced by the French "carrière" which I know has a double RR.

It seems this is a conflation of the standard English form "career" and somewhat more French forms like "carreere, carreir, carrear". I just checked in Oxford English Dictonary, after a complaint on my spelling being unacceptable. These more French forms are still English, not French. But they are also more French in having a final -e, or have an alternative way of spelling the "ee" sound.

I have added to English spellings, but it is clearly within the spectrum of what OED [Oxford English Dictionary] can present.

I think it was in A Traveller in Time by Alison Uttley, or perhaps (also?) House of Arden series by Edith Nesbit, also featuring time travel, though to Cavaliers and Roundhead's, not to the time of Mary Queen of Scots, that I found the remark that spelling is an art, and there is not "just one correct answer" - a sentiment I adher to./HGL

But how would a reader know the meaning of “carreer” when it’s not in a modern English dictionary? Mr. Lundahl has no right to make up words and use archaic spellings that would confuse our readers. He inappropriately scoffs at the Merriam-Webster dictionary, but at least this dictionary spells words properly, has widespread recognition and has legitimate definitions. Mr. Lundahl has none of this.

In another email on May 16, 2022 (6:58 AM US Eastern time), Mr. Lundahl continues to peddle disinformation and make illegitimate excuses about the acceptable spelling of “career” when he speculates:

“In fact, the form with double R exists, but also has a final e, with or without spelling versions on the second syllable's vowel sound.

Carreere, carreire - both exist in the Oxford ENGLISH Dictionary.

Your view on what's acceptable spelling is purely Merriam Webster Puritanism./HGL”

In yet another email on May 17, 2022 (12:41 PM US Eastern Time, Mr. Lundahl again senselessly insults the Merriam Webster dictionary and the millions of good people that find it useful:

And, for the future, I am not sure whether I shall write "carreere" instead, but the requirement to write "career" reminds me so of people telling Tolkien that "dwarves" is a misspelling or that "helms too they chose" is incorrect English. To me those are Barbarians without letters. Especially if they are half-educated enough to cite Merriam-Webster.

I further comment on Mr. Lundahl’s senseless snobbery against the Merriam-Webster dictionary in Henke (2022m). Nevertheless, because Mr. Lundahl prefers The Oxford English Dictionary, I will use the on-line unabridged version that is available through my local university library. The Oxford dictionary is probably the most respected English dictionary in the world. However, access to the unabridged version can be expensive. An internet subscription is $100 or 100 pounds/year ( https://www.oed.com/ ). A new 20-volume hardbound paper copy of the unabridged Oxford dictionary costs $1,124.49 at Amazon.com (US). I only obtained internet access to the unabridged version because my university has a subscription. Because of its expense, individuals in rural areas probably don’t have easy access to the unabridged version. Nevertheless, Oxford Languages provides an abridged version for Google’s internet English dictionary.

So, what does Mr. Lundahl mean by “carreer” in the title of Lundahl (2022d)? The title of Lundahl (2022d) is The Real Reason Why we Can and Could All the Time Say we Know Alexander's Carreer. The term “carreer” does not appear in the text of Lundahl (2022d). Nevertheless, in an email on May 16, 2022 (7:24 AM US Eastern Time), Mr. Lundahl confidently tells us what “carreer” is supposed to mean:

“Spelling is an art, and no one will take "carreer" as being another word than "career". No one in his senses, that is.” [my emphasis]

Oh really, Mr. Lundahl? Words with slightly different spellings, can’t have very different meanings? Capital/capitol, breach/breech, sail/sale, confident/confidant, decent/descent/dissent, exercise/exorcise, drought/draught, etc. Mr. Lundahl, why don’t you just spell career correctly so that our readers don’t get confused and have to guess what you mean? Be an effective communicator.

In his May 16, 2022 (10:59 AM Eastern Time) email, Mr. Lundahl claims:

As for "carreer" it's a habit I have not decided to change.

Well, not all habits are good and your spelling is unacceptable for proper communication. You’re also being rude and condescending to our readers.

The modern definition of career in the abridged Oxford English Dictionary is “a course of professional life or employment.” Oxford languages in Google defines the noun career as “an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person's life and with opportunities for progress.” That’s how I understand the word. Career is a long-term occupation.

But, if “carreer” really exists in the Oxford dictionary, does it really mean career? Now, as mentioned in the above quotation from Mr. Lundahl in his May 16, 2022 (6:47 AM US Eastern time) email, he claims:

“Carreer or career comes from French "carrière".

The Oxford English Dictionary confirms this statement and provides some more information. According to the Oxford unabridged dictionary, Mr. Lundahl’s favorite, carrière means a “race course.” So, what does a race course have to do with an occupation? Words obviously change meaning, as well as spelling, as they move between languages and change over time. This is another good reason for Mr. Lundahl to stop misspelling words and to stop using non-English words and phrases in his essays like he does in Lundahl (2022g). He has a duty to make himself understood in his English essays, especially to our English-only readers.

So, what about carreer? What does The Oxford English Dictionary say about this spelling in the unabridged version? Does Mr. Lundahl have any justification in modern English for spelling career as “carreer”? No, he does not! Even The Oxford English Dictionary demonstrates that he is wrong. The Oxford English Dictionary (December 2021, on-line) states that “carreer” was only used along with a variety of other English spellings from the 1500s-1700s. This would have been before spelling in the English language became more standardized. The Oxford dictionary gives several definitions of career that include the “carreer” spelling, which are mostly labelled by Oxford as obsolete. These definitions with the term “carreer” meant: transferred (obsolete), a short gallop on a horse at full speed (obsolete), a short turning of a horse (obsolete), a rapid and continuous course of action, or a course, such as the course of the sun or stars through the heavens. Not only is “carreer” completely out of place in the 21^st century, Mr. Lundahl’s preferred dictionary indicates that the word as a noun had absolutely nothing to do with an occupation. So, Mr. Lundahl is absolutely wrong when he claims: “... no one will take "carreer" as being another word than "career". No one in his senses, that is.” Mr. Lundahl is completely out of order for spelling the word career as “carreer” and refusing to do a spell check on his English essays.

It’s obvious that Mr. Lundahl is trying to look “cool”, “sophisticated” and “intellectual” by making up or using archaic spellings of words with obsolete definitions. Of course, 12 to 90 year olds living in Wyoming, central Australia, Alabama and many other areas that have no knowledge of French or archaic spelling from the 17^th century, may simply conclude that Mr. Lundahl either doesn’t know how to use a simple spell check program or that he’s too lazy to do so.