The predicament of dilemma...or is it dilemna?

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The predicament of dilemma...or is it dilemna? - 11/18/2013 12:38:47 PM

angelikaJ

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Discussion carried over from this thread:
http://www.collarchat.com/m_4588271/tm.htm
I think I grew up with it being dilemma as dilemna just looks very wrong to me.

However, because I am a feline creature of the curious variety, I thought I would do some research...

And this is what I found:
https://www.google.com/search?q=%22dilemna%22&tbs=bks%3A1%2Ccdr%3A1%2Ccd_min%3A1800%2Ccd_max%3A1820&lr=lang_en

Lots of books with dilemna being the featured way of spelling it.

And this blog entry: http://runningahospital.blogspot.com/2010/07/dilemma-or-dilemna.html

Which included this reply:
""...For the Democrats, including the three leading presidential candidates...maneuvers in Iowa and New Hampshire, the classic dilemna was posed: Do you want a big issue for the upcoming campaign or will you take..."
By: Thomas Oliphant|Date: Dec 23, 2007 http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/12/23/americas_energy_future/

Where did Tom Oliphant grow up? Answer: "He is a native of Brooklyn, a product of La Jolla High School in California, and a 1967 graduate of Harvard." http://www.bookreporter.com/authors/au-oliphant-thomas.asp"

And I found a probable explanation here:

"I've never come across the word "dilemna". It is not listed in any dictionary I know of. It does appear in the OED in a citation for another word (horned):
"1551 T. WILSON Logike (1580) 34b, Dilemna, otherwise..called a horned argument."

My conjecture is that its similarity with a word such as "solemn" may be the cause of confusion here. The silent letter n in the latter word may make some to believe that dilemma follows the same pattern "lemn" instead of "lemm". It is especially possible when one acquires words by listening (TV?) rather than by reading. One look at the etymology of the word will remove any confusion. The word dilemma derives from di- (two) and lemma (assumption, premise). Recall the image of "horned" situation in the citation we just saw."

From: http://wordsmith.org/awad/awadmail39.html

So, how did you learn to spell it and when did you re-learn if your spelling has changed.

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RE: The predicament of dilemma...or is it dilemna? - 11/18/2013 12:48:47 PM

mnottertail

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It has always been dilemma, for me. Meaning di (two, and widely bifuricated, therefore horns) lemma. (subsidiary or intermediate argument in a theorem or proof). so the idea that you are in a dilemma would be a choice between blueberry pie and getting a dishwashing machine if you needed one.

A blowjob or rimjob is a simple if vexing choice, no horns of a dilemma there.

lemnas are aquatic plants insofar as I know.

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RE: The predicament of dilemma...or is it dilemna? - 11/18/2013 12:55:05 PM

MasterCaneman

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I can't put a date on when I learned to spell it, other that sometime in middle school. It wasn't until I went back for my Associate's degree in '03 that I noticed the difference, and when I pointed it out to one of the English instructors, he remarked that it may have happened when MS Word was created, which is where I based my presumption.

It's been on ongoing dilemna for me, and the source of another word with a squiggly red line that I will now erase because I'll add it to the dictionary, from whence it will propagate throughout the Interwebs for all time, thus continuing the saga of the word battle between "dilemma/dilemna".

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RE: The predicament of dilemma...or is it dilemna? - 11/18/2013 3:23:02 PM

popeye1250

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Angelikaj, you'd go crazy in France or Quebec, Canada.
They have words that they tack three or four letters on the end of and then don't sound *ANY* of them!
And lots of the words they use have "X"'s on the end but they NEVER pronounce them!

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RE: The predicament of dilemma...or is it dilemna? - 11/18/2013 6:31:43 PM

muhly22222

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FR

These threads are the first time I've ever heard of it being spelled "dilemna." I know I'm only 25, but I've read quite a bit (and not just stuff that was written recently, either), so I would have though I'd have come across it.

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RE: The predicament of dilemma...or is it dilemna? - 11/18/2013 7:42:00 PM

littlewonder

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I learned to spell it "dilemma" since grade school and this is the first time I have ever seen it spelled as "dilemna".

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RE: The predicament of dilemma...or is it dilemna? - 11/18/2013 7:49:23 PM

TNDommeK

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Dilemma is how I've always spelled it.

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RE: The predicament of dilemma...or is it dilemna? - 11/20/2013 10:36:30 AM

MercTech

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quote:

Lots of books with dilemna being the featured way of spelling it.

And this blog entry: http://runningahospital.blogspot.com/2010/07/dilemma-or-dilemna.html

Must be a common typographical error. And, in reading that blog, it sounds like someone not wanting to acknowledge that one of his teachers in his youth taught him some utter crap.

I'm flashing back to the English teacher that told me, "Mary of Scotland married James the 6th of Scotland and had two Children, Charles Darnley and James the 1st of England." Headmaster's really don't appreciate you bringing the Britannica to their office to show that they have a teacher that is clueless. (For the history challenged: James I of England and James VI of Scotland were the same person. First King of Scotland and later King of Scotland and England. James' mother was Mary, Queen of Scots. James' father was Charles Darnley)

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RE: The predicament of dilemma...or is it dilemna? - 11/21/2013 11:36:51 AM

crazyml

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There's no fucking debate. It's dilemma.

I could expend time that I can never get back looking for other misspellings but ya know....

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RE: The predicament of dilemma...or is it dilemna? - 11/21/2013 3:42:11 PM

DesFIP

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Today it is. I just wonder if it will still be that in a hundred years.

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RE: The predicament of dilemma...or is it dilemna? - 11/21/2013 5:01:37 PM

LookieNoNookie

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quote:

ORIGINAL: angelikaJ

Discussion carried over from this thread:
http://www.collarchat.com/m_4588271/tm.htm
I think I grew up with it being dilemma as dilemna just looks very wrong to me.

However, because I am a feline creature of the curious variety, I thought I would do some research...

And this is what I found:
https://www.google.com/search?q=%22dilemna%22&tbs=bks%3A1%2Ccdr%3A1%2Ccd_min%3A1800%2Ccd_max%3A1820&lr=lang_en

Lots of books with dilemna being the featured way of spelling it.

And this blog entry: http://runningahospital.blogspot.com/2010/07/dilemma-or-dilemna.html

Which included this reply:
""...For the Democrats, including the three leading presidential candidates...maneuvers in Iowa and New Hampshire, the classic dilemna was posed: Do you want a big issue for the upcoming campaign or will you take..."
By: Thomas Oliphant|Date: Dec 23, 2007 http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/12/23/americas_energy_future/

Where did Tom Oliphant grow up? Answer: "He is a native of Brooklyn, a product of La Jolla High School in California, and a 1967 graduate of Harvard." http://www.bookreporter.com/authors/au-oliphant-thomas.asp"

And I found a probable explanation here:

"I've never come across the word "dilemna". It is not listed in any dictionary I know of. It does appear in the OED in a citation for another word (horned):
"1551 T. WILSON Logike (1580) 34b, Dilemna, otherwise..called a horned argument."

My conjecture is that its similarity with a word such as "solemn" may be the cause of confusion here. The silent letter n in the latter word may make some to believe that dilemma follows the same pattern "lemn" instead of "lemm". It is especially possible when one acquires words by listening (TV?) rather than by reading. One look at the etymology of the word will remove any confusion. The word dilemma derives from di- (two) and lemma (assumption, premise). Recall the image of "horned" situation in the citation we just saw."

From: http://wordsmith.org/awad/awadmail39.html

So, how did you learn to spell it and when did you re-learn if your spelling has changed.

Awesome....didn't read the actual question...just loved the title :)

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RE: The predicament of dilemma...or is it dilemna? - 11/21/2013 7:28:30 PM

littlewonder

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who cares if it still will be in 100 years? Most of us most likely will be dead. Won't exactly matter.

But during our lifetime, it's dilemma and has been for a very, very, very long time.

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RE: The predicament of dilemma...or is it dilemna? - 11/22/2013 9:52:36 AM

MalcolmNathaniel

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I was taught 'dilemna.' I'd say it's common enough to be an alternate spelling. While the Greek 'lemma' may be correct, a lot of words change spelling when being brought over to English.

This is an interesting mystery, but not interesting enough to actually research it further than a quick Google search. If I may quote Sir Terry Pratchett:

“English doesn’t borrow from other languages. English follows other languages down dark alleys, knocks them over and goes through their pockets for loose grammar.”

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