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)