Date:  Fri, 22 Sep 1995 09:33:51 -0700

From:  Dan Alford <dalford[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]S1.CSUHAYWARD.EDU>

Subject: Re: tardys vs. tardies



Fascinating, Tom! This is a direct analogy in *spelling* to the whole

discussion on mouses/mice in pronunciation.



The real sticker, of course, is why would a word like this resist the

powerful rule for a majority of cases, where y -> ies. What has

historically made writers hesitate here? Visual analogy to 'todays', as

in "All our todays are fleeting"?



What are some other, perhaps less arcane, -y words that -> -ys? Do they

form a class of some sort?



On Tue, 19 Sep 1995, Tom Uharriet wrote:



> A student is marked tardy again for being late to class. Does s/he

> ask, "How many _tardys_ do I have now?" or

>   "How many _tardies_ do I have now?"

>

> I see it in local print both ways. Neither is in the dictionary. Is

> one spelling "right"?

>

>

> Tom Uharriet

> utom[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]admn.712.nebo.edu

>