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WALA vs. voila. Who cares!!! It's the way he wants to spell!!! Are there any rules???

 

<pedantic mode on>

 

Yes, actually, there ARE rules of spelling. (What ARE they teaching them in those schools??)

 

As noted by Greying Jay, "Voila!" is a French word. It translates roughly as "behold!", and is pronounced VWA-LA.

The word is spelled with, and is PROUNOUNCED with, the letter V, not the letter W. "Wala" (or "wallah", or whatever) isn't a word; it's someone trying to spell a word which they didn't listen to... or heard correctly from someone who was mispronouncing it.... or copied the written spelling from someone else who did one of the preceding two.

 

<pedantic mode off>

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WALA vs. voila. Who cares!!! It's the way he wants to spell!!! Are there any rules???

 

<pedantic mode on>

 

Yes, actually, there ARE rules of spelling. (What ARE they teaching them in those schools??)

 

As noted by Greying Jay, "Voila!" is a French word. It translates roughly as "behold!", and is pronounced VWA-LA.

The word is spelled with, and is PROUNOUNCED with, the letter V, not the letter W. "Wala" (or "wallah", or whatever) isn't a word; it's someone trying to spell a word which they didn't listen to... or heard correctly from someone who was mispronouncing it.... or copied the written spelling from someone else who did one of the preceding two.

 

<pedantic mode off>

 

so I'll just sit here and wala in my own crapulence. :anicute:

 

or would that be crapulance

 

dadgum, that's why I love math and science... not so many rules.

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>>>so I'll just sit here and wala in my own crapulence. :D

 

ACK! PUN ALERT! RUN FOR THE HILLS!

 

>dadgum, that's why I love math and science... not so many rules.

 

<innocent look>

 

Does that mean it's OK with you if the cashier at the next store you patronize chooses to ignore the rules used to solve ** A-B=C, where A=the value of the money you handed over, B=the cost of your purchase , and C represents your Change?

 

**Note that this is not the same thing as the cashier simply being too uneducated, unintelligent, or uncaring to correctly type in "A" and/or count out "C" as displayed on the cash register screen. :)

Edited by cimawr
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{/quote]

 

I guess that depends entirely on which dictionary you're using.... :)

 

Heh. Just what the world needs, a wikipedictionary.

 

1. Considering that whoever wrote #1 mis-spelled about every third word in ENGLISH, I have to suspect that his/her "walla" is another instance of someone mishearing a foreign word. 'Tis a moot point regarding the "walla" of this thread, however, since it's not the same misheard word, nor was it used in that context. (At least not to either my or Greying Jay's interpretation.)

 

2. If you scroll down a few more definitions, you'll find at least two "definitions" of "walla" which are paraphrases of what I wrote, albeit in somewhat harsher terms. :D

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Good news is we have Emily Postnews to tell us how to behave in these situations.

http://www.templetons.com/brad/emily.html

 

Emily Says:

Q: Another poster can't spell worth a d***. What should I post?

 

A: Post a followup pointing out all the original author's spelling and grammar mistakes. You were almost certainly the only one to notice them, genius that you are, so not only will others be intrigued at your spelling flame, but they'll get to read such fine entertainments rather than any actual addressing of the facts or issues in the message.

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Good news is we have Emily Postnews to tell us how to behave in these situations.

http://www.templetons.com/brad/emily.html

 

Emily Says:

Q: Another poster can't spell worth a d***. What should I post?

 

A: Post a followup pointing out all the original author's spelling and grammar mistakes. You were almost certainly the only one to notice them, genius that you are, so not only will others be intrigued at your spelling flame, but they'll get to read such fine entertainments rather than any actual addressing of the facts or issues in the message.

 

Granted, it's been 15 years since I was in a high school French class, but if I remember correctly, "voila" roughly translates to "there it is," and "voici" roughly translates to "here it is." I remember Madame Schorrer being really annoyed at people who used the two words indiscriminantly (and incorrectly as well.)

 

Like I said, it's been 15 years. :laughing:

 

Rob

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Granted, it's been 15 years since I was in a high school French class, but if I remember correctly, "voila" roughly translates to "there it is," and "voici" roughly translates to "here it is." I remember Madame Schorrer being really annoyed at people who used the two words indiscriminantly (and incorrectly as well.)

 

Like I said, it's been 15 years. :D

It's been more like 30 years for me, but I almost made the same point yesterday.
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