Sunday, May 06, 2012

'I' Before 'E' Except After 'C'

'I' before 'E' except after 'C'?

Not according to some ancient species found in sufficient number in a science society.  They would claim to be among the exceptions.

Plus, a weird Keith out there would either have a counterfeit seizure at some foreign leisure resort or stand at full height just to prove that 'C' is not an integral part of the rule.

What brought all this about?

Well, everyday, we have transactions with Qantas and I learned something new when I asked around.

All the while I thought maybe they forgot the rule that 'Q' and 'U' go together or that maybe 'qantas' was one of those words that Australians liked to spell differently from the rest of the world.

Did you know that QANTAS is the acronym for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services"?

Well, before I arrived in Australia, I surely didn't know that. 

Yes, I know, I should have known since PAL stands for Philippine Airlines and JAL stands for Japan Airlines.  I suppose it is because QANTAS is not usually in all caps.  It is often seen as 'Qantas' thus the assumption that it is a word rather than an acronym.

Another interesting fact I learned is that aside from the fact that the choice of a kangaroo as the Qantas logo was not only because kangaroos are only found in primarily in Australia but also because kangaroos cannot walk or move backwards (due to the unusual shape of its legs and its bulky tail) thus the 'keep moving forward' implication. 


Interesting!  


You learn something new everyday.





1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I think most of the words that don't follow the rule come from French.

Maybe MyGirl can confirm since her classes were more recent than mine.

-- Z