Stewarts corner

Compound phrases: When to use one word, a hyphen or two words?

Phrases, like Śoil slicką in British English are written in two words, whereas the Norwegian equivalent Ś oljeflaką is one word. The following guidelines to such constructions in British English (BE) may help in selecting when to write a single word, use a hyphen or write the words separately. A glance at the Oxford dictionary will show that this is no easy matter. Entries include: Śoilfieldą, Śoil-tankerą and Śoil wellą. American English, like Norwegian, tends to write many such constructions in a single word, where BE would uses two words or a hyphen.

Guidelines to compounds in BE: 1. Two words in a phrase are kept as separate words until they are become frequently treated as one unit, when they receive a hyphen or become one word (e.g. petroleum-related activities and high-speed racing used to be referred to as Śoff-shore activities/racingą and have now developed into Śoffshore activities/racingą in recent dictionaries. The original concept of a position off the coast or Śoff shoreą is still used and is written as two words).

2. If the first words in a phrase act as adjectives and describe the subject, hyphenation should be used to help the reader understand your meaning (e.g. Śa hot-air ballooną which may not mean the same as a Śhot balloon in the airą). A large dictionary lists phrases such as Śstate-of-the-artą twice, first as an adjective phrase (Śstate-of-the-art conceptą) and as a noun phrase without hyphens (Śa concept that is state of the artą).

3. If two or more words are used in a phrase where there may be ambiguity, a hyphen is to be used with care or there may be amusing results. One guide to the English language gives the example of a Śnatural gas-producerą, where a reader may understand this to be a person living in a natural state with questionable manners. Although Śnatural gasą is not usually hyphenated, writing Śnatural-gas producerą or Śnatural-gas-producerą should be an unambiguous reference to a company like Statoil.

4. In conference proceedings etc., hyphens can distinguish between: Śthe non-Norwegian-speakersą (those who do not speak Norwegian) and Śthe non-Norwegian speakersą (those who are not Norwegian citizens).

5. Some words have to be hyphenated or they may be misunderstood. Compare: Śun-ionizeą (removing ions) and Śunionizeą (join a trade union), or Śre-coverą (cover again) and Śrecoverą (get well).

6. Hyphens are often used between a prefix and a following word with the same letter, so Śpre-existą but not Śprefabricateą. In BE, many do not use a hyphen in commonly-used words such as Ścooperateą and Ścoordinateą, but most writers would hyphenate the less usual Śco-optą.

Tricky words:

Hurricane/typhoon
ŚHurricanesą are found east of the International Date Line and Śtyphoonsą west of the Date Line in the area of the Philippines, the China Sea, or India. They are atmospheric disturbances of about equal intensity and their difference is only a matter of where they occur.

Scotch/Scots
During the Cutty Sark regatta in Trondheim, Adresseavisen wrote on 24 July about the main sponsor: ŚCutty Sark Scots Whiskyą. I do not suppose that many teetotalling Scots read our local paper, but just for the record: ŚScotsą refers to the people of Scotland, whereas ŚScotchą, which sounds almost the same, is whisky.

Welch/welsh
Either Śwelchą or Śwelshą may be used in the expression Śto welch/welsh on a debt/agreementą. This means not pay a debt or to ignore a commitment. The spelling Śwelchą is preferred as this is a useful way of avoiding making a negative reference to the Welsh: the people of Wales.

Enlightening English

After a long, tiring meeting in Brussels between the national coordination units for a European educational programme, the final item on the agenda was an assessment of the quality of the translations of the application forms into the respective official EU languages. A Greek gentleman raised his hand and addressed the representatives of the European Commission and said: ŚI should not say this, but this translation into my language, is just Greek to meą.

A young gentleman from Africa tried to capture the interest of the ladies of Norway with the following description of himself in a lonely hearts column: Ś I have red eyes and a black, bushy hairŠą Dagbladet, July 1997.

NTNU
Info.avd.

Ansvarlig redaktřr: Informasjonsdirektřr Kĺre Kongsnes
Teknisk ansvarlig: aina.berg@adm.ntnu.no
Oppdatert: 27. Feb 1997