Date:  Wed, 9 Jul 1997 12:18:37 -0800
From:  jarthurs <jarthurs[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UVIC.CA>
Subject: Re: clorox or whatever

>I have just been browsing through some of our evidence for "smelt" as
>the past of "smell" and find that most of the recent stuff comes from
>British writers, although a couple from American magazines may be
>Americans. It was not uncommon in older American English. I leave
>you with this odoriferous sample:
>
>The whale was not a long one, physically speaking--say thirty-five
>feet--but he smelt much longer; he smelt as much as a mile and a half
>longer, I should say, for we travelled about that distance beyond him
>before we ceased to detect his fragrance in the atmosphere.--Mark
>Twain
>
>EWG

I'm confused: is this thread about spelling or speaking? I see "smelled"
but I hear "smelt". Don't you?

TTFN!

Dr. James Arthurs,
Advisor, Applied Linguistics Programmes,
Department of Linguistics,
University of Victoria,
Box 3045,
Victoria, B.C.          Tel: (250) 721-7432)
Canada V8W 3P4      Fax: (250) 721-7423)