| Author |
Message |
Pieter Rautenbach
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2004 6:07 pm
Post subject: Prefix non- |
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Can someone explain to me the hyphenation rule for prefixing a noun,
based on British English. I searched the newsgroup and the web, but
could not find any information on this, not even in my dictionary. I
have the following words, but do not know which, if any or all, should
be hyphenated.
non linear
non scaled
non occluded
non parametric
Thank you
Pieter Rautenbach
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Alan Jones
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2004 6:07 pm
Post subject: Re: Prefix non- |
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"Pieter Rautenbach" <parautenbach@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:b8ef333d.0411240623.35580902@posting.google.com...
| Quote: | Can someone explain to me the hyphenation rule for prefixing a noun,
based on British English. I searched the newsgroup and the web, but
could not find any information on this, not even in my dictionary. I
have the following words, but do not know which, if any or all, should
be hyphenated.
non linear
non scaled
non occluded
non parametric
|
All of them. The only alternative is to run the prefix into the noun, but
that often (as here) leads to a moment of self-doubt - "Do I know that word
'nonoccluded'?" Hyphens make the sense immediately clear.
Alan Jones |
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Adrian Bailey
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2004 6:12 pm
Post subject: Re: Prefix non- |
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"Pieter Rautenbach" <parautenbach@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:b8ef333d.0411240623.35580902@posting.google.com...
| Quote: | Can someone explain to me the hyphenation rule for prefixing a noun,
based on British English. I searched the newsgroup and the web, but
could not find any information on this, not even in my dictionary. I
have the following words, but do not know which, if any or all, should
be hyphenated.
non linear
non scaled
non occluded
non parametric
|
"Non-" should *always* be hyphenated, unless it is simply joined to the word
(eg. nonlinear).
Adrian
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Jess Askin
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2004 6:13 pm
Post subject: Re: Prefix non- |
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"Adrian Bailey" <dadge@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:YE2pd.442$38.215@fe2.news.blueyonder.co.uk...
| Quote: | "Pieter Rautenbach" <parautenbach@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:b8ef333d.0411240623.35580902@posting.google.com...
Can someone explain to me the hyphenation rule for prefixing a noun,
based on British English. I searched the newsgroup and the web, but
could not find any information on this, not even in my dictionary. I
have the following words, but do not know which, if any or all, should
be hyphenated.
non linear
non scaled
non occluded
non parametric
"Non-" should *always* be hyphenated, unless it is simply joined to the
word
(eg. nonlinear).
|
Or in foreign phrases like non compos mentis. [I went to check the spelling
on Google, but I typed in "non compost" by mistake. Sure enough, 309 hits.
You gotta love the Web.] |
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R H Draney
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2004 11:50 pm
Post subject: Re: Prefix non- |
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Alan Jones filted:
| Quote: |
All of them. The only alternative is to run the prefix into the noun, but
that often (as here) leads to a moment of self-doubt - "Do I know that word
'nonoccluded'?" Hyphens make the sense immediately clear.
|
So how many words are there that begin with a nonprefix "non"?...is it ever the
case that a reference to a nine-sided plane figure causes some people to think
instead of "something that isn't painful"?...
(Cf headline "bloopers" referring to the doings of "uninformed policemen")....r |
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don groves
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 12:10 am
Post subject: Re: Prefix non- |
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In article <hd1pd.145$38.3@fe2.news.blueyonder.co.uk>, Alan Jones
at atj@blueyonder.co.uk exposited:
| Quote: |
"Pieter Rautenbach" <parautenbach@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:b8ef333d.0411240623.35580902@posting.google.com...
Can someone explain to me the hyphenation rule for prefixing a noun,
based on British English. I searched the newsgroup and the web, but
could not find any information on this, not even in my dictionary. I
have the following words, but do not know which, if any or all, should
be hyphenated.
non linear
non scaled
non occluded
non parametric
All of them. The only alternative is to run the prefix into the noun, but
that often (as here) leads to a moment of self-doubt - "Do I know that word
'nonoccluded'?" Hyphens make the sense immediately clear.
|
Some "non-" words have become so common that the joined form is
universally recognized: nonlinear, nonsense, etc. When in doubt,
hyphenate, as Alan says.
--
dg (domain=ccwebster) |
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Michael Nitabach
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 12:12 am
Post subject: Re: Prefix non- |
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don groves <dgroves@domain.net> wrote in
news:MPG.1c0e88e98be5695b989be8@news.individual.net:
| Quote: | In article <hd1pd.145$38.3@fe2.news.blueyonder.co.uk>, Alan Jones
at atj@blueyonder.co.uk exposited:
"Pieter Rautenbach" <parautenbach@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:b8ef333d.0411240623.35580902@posting.google.com...
Can someone explain to me the hyphenation rule for prefixing a
noun, based on British English. I searched the newsgroup and
the web, but could not find any information on this, not even
in my dictionary. I have the following words, but do not know
which, if any or all, should be hyphenated.
non linear
non scaled
non occluded
non parametric
All of them. The only alternative is to run the prefix into the
noun, but that often (as here) leads to a moment of self-doubt -
"Do I know that word 'nonoccluded'?" Hyphens make the sense
immediately clear.
Some "non-" words have become so common that the joined form is
universally recognized: nonlinear, nonsense, etc.
|
"Nonparametric" needs no hyphen.
--
Mike Nitabach |
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J. W. Love
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 12:12 am
Post subject: Re: Prefix non- |
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Don wrote:
| Quote: | Some "non-" words have become so common that the
joined form is universally recognized: nonlinear,
nonsense, etc. When in doubt, hyphenate, as Alan says.
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Naturally in America, it's the other way round: when in doubt, make it solid. |
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Steve Hayes
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 6:05 am
Post subject: Re: Prefix non- |
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On 24 Nov 2004 06:23:29 -0800, parautenbach@gmail.com (Pieter Rautenbach)
wrote:
| Quote: | Can someone explain to me the hyphenation rule for prefixing a noun,
based on British English. I searched the newsgroup and the web, but
could not find any information on this, not even in my dictionary. I
have the following words, but do not know which, if any or all, should
be hyphenated.
|
It depends on the house style.
You can write "nonlinear" or "non-linear" (but not "non linear").
Just be consistent within the same document.
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk |
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R H Draney
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 11:56 am
Post subject: Re: Prefix non- |
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Michael Nitabach filted:
| Quote: |
don groves <dgroves@domain.net> wrote in
news:MPG.1c0e88e98be5695b989be8@news.individual.net:
Some "non-" words have become so common that the joined form is
universally recognized: nonlinear, nonsense, etc.
"Nonparametric" needs no hyphen.
|
But, perversely, "non-hyphenated" seems to require it....r |
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Pieter Rautenbach
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 12:03 pm
Post subject: Re: Prefix non- |
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Thank you all for your replies. I would just like to make the
following clear: I never meant to write any of my examples as two
words  . I did it for clarity and not to bias your ideas toward
hyphenated or joined forms.
To summarise:
If British, hyphenate.
If American, join.
If the word is common, join, else hyphenate.
Once again, thanks!
Pieter Rautenbach
hayesmstw@hotmail.com (Steve Hayes) wrote in message news:<41a4ce46.132012404@news.saix.net>...
| Quote: | On 24 Nov 2004 06:23:29 -0800, parautenbach@gmail.com (Pieter Rautenbach)
wrote:
Can someone explain to me the hyphenation rule for prefixing a noun,
based on British English. I searched the newsgroup and the web, but
could not find any information on this, not even in my dictionary. I
have the following words, but do not know which, if any or all, should
be hyphenated.
It depends on the house style.
You can write "nonlinear" or "non-linear" (but not "non linear").
Just be consistent within the same document. |
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Athel Cornish-Bowden
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 12:04 pm
Post subject: Re: Prefix non- |
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Michael Nitabach <mnitabach@acedsl.com> wrote in message news:<Xns95ABA87D7EA1Dmnitabachacedslcom@216.196.97.140>...
| Quote: | don groves <dgroves@domain.net> wrote in
news:MPG.1c0e88e98be5695b989be8@news.individual.net:
In article <hd1pd.145$38.3@fe2.news.blueyonder.co.uk>, Alan Jones
at atj@blueyonder.co.uk exposited:
"Pieter Rautenbach" <parautenbach@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:b8ef333d.0411240623.35580902@posting.google.com...
Can someone explain to me the hyphenation rule for prefixing a
noun, based on British English. I searched the newsgroup and
the web, but could not find any information on this, not even
in my dictionary. I have the following words, but do not know
which, if any or all, should be hyphenated.
non linear
non scaled
non occluded
non parametric
All of them. The only alternative is to run the prefix into the
noun, but that often (as here) leads to a moment of self-doubt -
"Do I know that word 'nonoccluded'?" Hyphens make the sense
immediately clear.
Some "non-" words have become so common that the joined form is
universally recognized: nonlinear, nonsense, etc.
"Nonparametric" needs no hyphen.
|
Up to a point. Personally, I don't put a hyphen in "nonparametric",
but some people do. If you are writing a statistics text and plan to
use it often enough for it to be a familiar word then it certainly
needs no hyphen. But if you are using it just once in something
written for readers with no knowlege of statistics then a hyphen may
help. Bear in mind that the OP was specifically asking for BrE usage,
and that BrE often puts hyphens in words where AmE does not.
I would treat "nonlinear" just like "nonparametric" -- i.e. I write it
with no hyphen, but others do put a hyphen.
If I wanted to write "non-occluded" at all I would put a hyphen
because it appears to be a nonce-word.
"Non-scaled" seems to me an unnecessary and ugly alternative to a
reasonably common word "unscaled", so I wouldn't write it at all.
My impression is that the only phrases of this kind that are written
as two words without a hyphen are ones where the entire phrase is
Latin, such as "non sequitur".
athel
--
Athel Cornish-Bowden
athel@ibsm.cnrs-mrs.fr
http://bip.cnrs-mrs.fr/bip10/homepage.htm |
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Mike Lyle
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 6:08 pm
Post subject: Re: Prefix non- |
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R H Draney wrote:
| Quote: | Michael Nitabach filted:
don groves <dgroves@domain.net> wrote in
news:MPG.1c0e88e98be5695b989be8@news.individual.net:
Some "non-" words have become so common that the joined form is
universally recognized: nonlinear, nonsense, etc.
"Nonparametric" needs no hyphen.
But, perversely, "non-hyphenated" seems to require it....r
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"Unhyphenated" is better; and "unhyphened" arguably better still.
Mike. |
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Charles Riggs
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 6:11 pm
Post subject: Re: Prefix non- |
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On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 16:28:40 GMT, "Adrian Bailey" <dadge@hotmail.com>
wrote:
| Quote: | "Pieter Rautenbach" <parautenbach@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:b8ef333d.0411240623.35580902@posting.google.com...
Can someone explain to me the hyphenation rule for prefixing a noun,
based on British English. I searched the newsgroup and the web, but
could not find any information on this, not even in my dictionary. I
have the following words, but do not know which, if any or all, should
be hyphenated.
non linear
non scaled
non occluded
non parametric
"Non-" should *always* be hyphenated, unless it is simply joined to the word
(eg. nonlinear).
|
I vote non placet on your strict prescription. Will you plea non
assumpsit, if that's not a non sequitur, or must I find additional
examples?
--
Charles Riggs
They are no accented letters in my email address |
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Charles Riggs
Guest
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| Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2004 6:11 pm
Post subject: Re: Prefix non- |
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On 25 Nov 2004 02:13:27 -0800, athel@ibsm.cnrs-mrs.fr (Athel
Cornish-Bowden) wrote:
| Quote: | My impression is that the only phrases of this kind that are written
as two words without a hyphen are ones where the entire phrase is
Latin, such as "non sequitur".
|
Probably so, but "non sequitur" is a perfectly good English word. Any
word the language adopts, and most words fall into that category, it
makes its own.
--
Charles Riggs
They are no accented letters in my email address |
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