Nowell?
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Nowell?
So, today at our college Christmas in the Park concert, we noticed that the program bore the words, "The First Nowell". Now at first we thought our SGA made a horrible error as we know it's spelled 'Noel'. But when they were putting the lyrics on the overhead, it was still spelled'Nowell' and we were highly confused! Could they possibly have made another grammatical error? Then Joe tells us that it's the British way to spell 'Noel' and that they were singing the British version of the song (which sounds no different from the American version). So, to all our friends in the UK, is that true? Or do I need to go beat Joe for lying to us? XD How do you spell Noel?
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Angel37 - Posts: 1238
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Mr. SmartyPants - Posts: 12541
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It's spelt Noel, with two dots over the 'e'. There's no difference between the American and British spelling.
The scientific method," Thomas Henry Huxley once wrote, "is nothing but the normal working of the human mind." That is to say, when the mind is working; that is to say further, when it is engaged in corrrecting its mistakes. Taking this point of view, we may conclude that science is not physics, biology, or chemistry—is not even a "subject"—but a moral imperative drawn from a larger narrative whose purpose is to give perspective, balance, and humility to learning.
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(The End of Education)
Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge
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Neil Postman
(The End of Education)
Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge
Isaac Aasimov
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Technomancer - Posts: 2379
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I did a search on "www.dictionary.com" just then. No results for "Nowell". For "Noel" though, I found this:
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=No%C3%ABl
Go bash Joe! J/K
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=No%C3%ABl
Go bash Joe! J/K
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Sammy Boy - Posts: 1410
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dictionary.com is American. But even searching with British Dictionaries gives nothing.
Everywhere like such as, and MOES.
"Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God." - William Carey
"Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God." - William Carey
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Warrior4Christ - Posts: 2045
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I'm not sure where it comes from, but it is an accepted alternate spelling also found in some songbooks. I've only done choir for a bajillion years, so I've seen it before. It's a lot less common than "Noel," though, and I definitely laughed my head off the first time I saw it.
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Aka-chan - Posts: 1546
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As far as I can tell from looking it up, the original spelling in that particular carol was "Nowell", which is a corruption of the French word. They're just using the carol as it was originally written.
Don't beat Joe.
Don't beat Joe.
The sometime President of the Goof Off!
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QtheQreater - Posts: 727
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Aka-chan wrote:I'm not sure where it comes from, but it is an accepted alternate spelling also found in some songbooks. I've only done choir for a bajillion years, so I've seen it before. It's a lot less common than "Noel," though, and I definitely laughed my head off the first time I saw it.
I'd say it's about accepted as "tonite" is as a spelling of "tonight".
The scientific method," Thomas Henry Huxley once wrote, "is nothing but the normal working of the human mind." That is to say, when the mind is working; that is to say further, when it is engaged in corrrecting its mistakes. Taking this point of view, we may conclude that science is not physics, biology, or chemistry—is not even a "subject"—but a moral imperative drawn from a larger narrative whose purpose is to give perspective, balance, and humility to learning.
Neil Postman
(The End of Education)
Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge
Isaac Aasimov
Neil Postman
(The End of Education)
Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge
Isaac Aasimov
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Technomancer - Posts: 2379
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I've always learned it as "noel", not any other way.
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mechana2015: Does that answer your question?
K. Ayato: Perfectly.
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K. Ayato - Posts: 3881
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According to Webster's New World Dictionary Third College Edition the Old French
spelling actually IS Nowel with one 'l' not two.The alternate Old French spelling is
nouel,so don't kill Joe,I agree with Q,he seems to be trying to use the original spelling.
spelling actually IS Nowel with one 'l' not two.The alternate Old French spelling is
nouel,so don't kill Joe,I agree with Q,he seems to be trying to use the original spelling.
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mitsuki lover - Posts: 8486
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