Editor's Corner

Today I’ve collected the last few words I’m going to share with you from the article “143 English Words That Are Actually Spanish.” If you would like to see the entire list, feel free to click the link. Today’s categories are:

· Geography and weather

· War and conflict

· Transportation

Geography and Weather

• arroyo – stream
• breeze – from brisa (cold northeast wind)
• caldera – cauldron
• canyon – cañón (pipe, tube, or gorge)
• mesa – table
• playa – beach
• sierra – mountain range
• temblor – from temblar (to shake)
• tornado – from tronada (thunderstorm), from tornar (to turn)

War and Conflict

• armada – armed, from Real Armada Española (“Royal Spanish Navy”)
• bandolier – bandolera
• conquistador – conqueror
• flotilla – diminutive of flota (fleet)
• guerrilla – small war
• renegade – from renegado (turncoat, traitor)
• vigilante – watchman

Transportation

• cargo – cargar (to load)
• embarcadero – boat dock
• embargo – embargar (to seize, to impound)
• galleon – galeón, a large sailing ship with three or more masts
• stevedore – from estibador (ship loader), literally, "one who stuffs"

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

619-542-6773 | Ext: 766773

Symitar Documentation Services

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Today I have a little bit more for you from Babbel.com. This portion of our lesson on English words we adopted from Spanish is all about our home on the range, where the deer and the antelope play.

Nothing’s more American than a cowboy, right? Well actually, the first people to herd cattle on horseback in North America were the vaqueros who introduced the ancient Spanish equestrian tradition to the Southwest. Their name is derived from vaca, the Spanish word for cow.

· buckaroo – anglicization of vaquero

· corral – pen, yard

· chaps – chaparreras: leg protectors for riding through chaparral

· desperado – desesperado (“desperate”)

· hackamore (a kind of horse bridle) – jáquima (halter)

· lariat – la reata (strap, rein, or rope)

· lasso – lazo (tie)

· quirt (a short horseman’s whip) – cuarta: quarter

· ranch – rancho (a very small rural community)

· rodeo – from rodear (to go around)

· stampede – from estampida a sudden panicked rush of a number of horses, cattle, or other animals)

· ten-gallon hat – from Spanish tan galán (so gallant), or possibly galón (braid)

Chaparral

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

Symitar Documentation Services

Good morning. I am so excited about this post. I learned a new spelling rule; and I can’t believe I didn’t know this before!

I was typing out the word permissible and I couldn’t remember if the suffix should be –able or –ible. I often have trouble with words in this category, so I did some internet searching and found this simple rule that seems so obvious now.

First, a caveat—as with all English spelling rules, there are exceptions, but this rule takes much of the guesswork away.

For the most part, when the root word is a whole word, you can use –able.

· enjoy + able = enjoyable

· depend + able = dependable

And when the root word ends with an e, you can usually drop the e and add –able.

· value + able = valuable

· erase + able = erasable

Note: I noticed quite a few exceptions for words that end in e. I’m afraid we’ll just have to memorize them. Here are some examples:

· reverse + ible = reversible

· force + ible = forcible

When the root word is not a whole word, you will usually add –ible.

· elig + ible = eligible

· cred + ible = credible

Here’s a quick quiz I found on the Learn English website. Just determine which suffix to add using the rules above. I’ve supplied the answers after my signature. The quiz is for your own edification. You don’t need to send me your answers or your score. Good luck!

1. Predict___

2. Ed___

3. Poss___

4. Compat___

5. Comfort___

6. Desir___

7. Ador___

8. Access___

Is it weird that this rule makes me so happy?

Donna Bradley Burcher | Senior Technical Editor | Symitar®

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123 | Ph. 619.278.0432 | Extension: 765432

Symitar Technical Publications Writing and Editing Requests

Answers:

1. Predictable

2. Edible

3. Possible

4. Compatible

5. Comfortable

6. Desirable

7. Adorable

8. Accessible

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¡Hola, mis amigos!

I have just returned from a short trip south of the border, where I searched for wild iguanas, watched frigatebirds soar over the ocean, and enjoyed the company of friends and family. In honor of my visit to Mexico, I thought it might be nice to look at some of the words we have adopted into English from the Spanish language. I found a great website called Babbel, and today’s topic is about which of our state names are actually Spanish words:

· Arizona – From Spanish Arizonac, itself an adoption of the word alĭ ṣonak, meaning “little spring,” from the local O’odham language. [KC – From Wikipedia:
O’odham (or Papago-Pima) is a Uto-Aztecan language of southern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico.] Alternate etymology may be the Basque haritz ona (“good oak”).

· California – A mythical island from the 1510 Spanish novel Las sergas de Esplandián by Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo.

· Colorado – Red-colored (referring to the color of the Colorado river).

· Florida – Flowery.

· Montana – From montaña (mountain).

· Nevada – Snowy.

· New Mexico – Nuevo México.

· Texas – The Spanish adopted the word tejas from the language of the indigenous Cado people. It means “friends” or “allies.”

· Utah – Derived from the name of the indigenous Ute people, via Spanish yuta.

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

619-542-6773 | Ext: 766773

Symitar Documentation Services

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Two weeks ago, I explained when to use the verb type and when to use enter. To review:

· If you’re telling the reader exactly what to type, use the word type (for example, “type San Diego”).

· If you’re describing what kind of information to enter, use the word enter (for example, “enter the name of your city”).

In today’s post, I will discuss the verb press (as in, “Press Y to continue”).

If you want to write as clearly as possible, it is important to differentiate between typing and pressing keys on a keyboard.

Typing refers to entering text (in a document or a field, for example). But you can use your keyboard for more than just entering text. For example, you can press Ctrl+S to save a file or press Backspace to delete an errant character.

We can add a third item to our list above:

· If you’re telling the reader what keys to press, use the word press (for example, “press Shift”).

Verb Choice Is Important

Sometimes, the difference between type and press seems minor (“type 1” and “press 1” mean essentially the same thing). But for other keys and key combinations, poor word choice can confuse readers.

For example, imagine that you want a reader to press the F1 key to open the help menu. If you say, “type F1,” some readers will type the letter F and the number 1, and then wonder where the help menu is.

Just as the word type signals (consciously or otherwise) that the reader should enter text exactly as written, the word press signals that the reader should press keys exactly as they are listed.

Stay Tuned

A standard Windows® keyboard has 104 keys: some with letters, some with numbers, some with symbols, and some with words.

In my next two posts, I will discuss the different types of keys and how to refer to each, so that you can confidently and unambiguously tell your readers what keys to press.

Ben Ritter | Technical Editor | Symitar®
8985 Balboa Avenue | San Diego, CA 92123
619-682-3391 | or ext. 763391 | www.Symitar.com

Symitar Documentation Services

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Here are the guidelines for the time of day and time zones from the JHA Style Guide for Technical Communication and Training.

Jackie Solano | Technical Editor | Symitar®

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123 | Ph. 619.542.6711 | Extension: 766711

Symitar Documentation Services

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The words apostrophe and catastrophe share the suffix -strophe, but they don’t seem similar at all in terms of meaning—or do they?

According to the DailyWritingTips website, both words “share an element derived from the Greek verb strephein, which means turn.” Now, I’m pretty familiar with both these words, and I didn’t immediately see how either of them have anything to do with turning, do you? This is where it gets interesting.

The DailyWritingTips article explains that apostrophe means turn from. As you know, an apostrophe indicates that one or more letters have been omitted—or turned away from—a word. (Apostrophes are also used for possessives, but that usage came later in the development of the English language. The original usage was only to indicate missing letters.)

Catastrophe, on the other hand, means overturning—as in a devastating reversal of fortune. An individual’s happy-go-lucky life can suddenly be overturned by a catastrophe.

And then there’s the word trophy, which isn’t related at all, but we all want one.

Donna Bradley Burcher | Senior Technical Editor | Symitar®

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123 | Ph. 619.278.0432 | Ext: 765432

Happy Friday, everyone!

I know I’m a little late with this information, but I was on vacation in England on New Year’s Eve, and it was a fantastic experience. Since then, I’ve been thinking about the song we sing at midnight every New Year’s Eve: “Auld Lang Syne.” It is a beautiful song, but do you know exactly what those words mean? Do you know what language it is? The information below comes from Wikipedia:

Auld Lang Syne is a Scots poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 and set to the tune of a traditional folk song. It is well known in many countries, especially in the English-speaking world, its traditional use being to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke of midnight. By extension, it is also sung at funerals, graduations and as a farewell or ending to other occasions. The international Boy Scout youth movement, in many countries, uses it as a close to jamborees and other functions.

The song’s Scots title may be translated into English literally as "old long since," or more idiomatically, "long long ago," "days gone by," or "old times." Consequently, "For auld lang syne," as it appears in the first line of the chorus, might be loosely translated as "for (the sake of) old times."

Robert Burns is the national poet of Scotland. In fact, in Scotland, January 25 is Burns Night. It’s an annual celebration of the renowned poet. I was surprised to learn that the tune we sing today is not the tune that Robert Burns wrote. To read an interesting article about Robert Burns, his internationally beloved song, and his other poems and songs, click this link.

Auld Lang Syne

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!

For auld lang syne, my jo,
For auld lang syne,
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

And surely ye’ll be your pint stowp!
And surely I’ll be mine!
And we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

We twa hae run about the braes,
And pou’d the gowan fine;
But we’ve wander’d mony a weary fitt,
Sin’ auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl’d in the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar’d
Sin’ auld lang syne.

And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere!
And gie’s a hand o’ thine!
And we’ll tak a right gude-willie-waught,
For auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my jo,
For auld lang syne,
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

Donna Bradley Burcher | Senior Technical Editor | Symitar®

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123 | Ph. 619.278.0432 | Extension: 765432

Symitar Technical Publications Writing and Editing Requests

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A check box is one of the simplest user interface elements, but there are some rules that you should observe when writing about check boxes.

The following rules are consistent across the Symitar Style Guide, the Microsoft® Manual of Style, and The IBM Style Guide.

What Is a Check Box?

Check boxes are square boxes that allow users to select one or more options from a set.

Do not confuse check boxes with option buttons (also known as radio buttons), which are round buttons that allow the user to select one option at a time.

How to Describe a Check Box

Refer to a check box as “the <label> check box” (for example, “the Strikethrough check box”).

Always include the phrase check box. Do not refer to a check box by its label alone, and do not shorten check box to box.

What Verb to Use

To describe the action of adding a check mark to a check box, use the verb select. Do not use turn on, mark, or check.

Example: Select the Strikethrough check box.

To describe the action of removing a check mark from a check box, use the verb clear. Do not use turn off, unmark, uncheck, or deselect.

Example: Clear the Double Strikethrough check box.

Ben Ritter | Technical Editor | Symitar®
8985 Balboa Avenue | San Diego, CA 92123
619-682-3391 | or ext. 763391 | www.Symitar.com

Symitar Documentation Services

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immediately advise the sender by reply email and delete all copies.

As I mentioned at the end of our idiom contest, there are tons of idioms about animals. One of the most popular idioms, which I was unfamiliar with, is “as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a roomful of rocking chairs.” At least six people sent that one in. Here are a few other ones for you about kitties.

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

Symitar Documentation Services