Assume v. Presume

I found this.
Code: 
$ egrep -i -c ".*[^c]ie.*" /usr/share/dict/words
15848
$ egrep -i -c ".*[^c]ei.*" /usr/share/dict/words
5255
$ egrep -i -c ".*[c]ie.*" /usr/share/dict/words
869
$ egrep -i -c ".*[c]ei.*" /usr/share/dict/words
303

So cie is three times as common as cei. Plus, just ei is far more common than iether.
 
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Trev said:
What the hell does that mean?
Click to expand...
It searches the unix dictionary for letter combinations.

15,848 words have ie not preceded by a c

5,255 words have ei not preceded by a c

869 words contain cie

303 words have cei

Make of that what you will. Not sure why the last two searches were done like that.
 
Idea: the "i before e" (etc) rule of thumb would have been a teaching chant dating back to at least the late 19th century, if not earlier, and I expect it applied reasonably well, particularly for the "common lexicon" of the time. The multitude of exceptions to the first clause or second clause in a modern computer word list (which is not the same as a dictionary) may well be the consequence of including the wide range of foreign and technical language words in use today.
 
Black Hole said:
That's difficult to explain.
Click to expand...
The Linux dictionary file has certainly evolved to include all manner of things including characters from TV franchises.

Here are the cie/cei lists from a proper more traditional UNIX operating system.

Code: 
% grep cie /usr/dict/words
ancient
coefficient
concierge
conscience
conscientious
deficient
efficient
financier
glacier
hacienda
inefficient
insufficient
Muncie
omniscient
proficient
science
scientific
scientist
societal
Societe
society
specie
species
sufficient
Code: 
% grep cei /usr/dict/words
ceil
conceit
conceive
deceit
deceitful
deceive
fluorescein
imperceivable
inconceivable
perceive
receipt
receive
transceiver
 
It seems to me that the 'rule' tends to only work where the ie is not pronounced. In the top list of af's post above most of the ies are actually spoken as aye-eh or ee-eh, whereas in the bottom list the i is silent. I think this may apply to the not-after-c set as well, but without studying a list I can't take that further.
 
That was my first thought too. Also consider pluralisation of a word ending '-cy' or '-ct' - the plural is bound to be '-cies'.
 
Black Hole said:
A stupid disaster. There's no way education theorists should be allowed to experiment on children - they are unable to consent, and it has the potential to ruin their lives.
Click to expand...
The small amount of research I did before posting would suggest that many of those involved in the "experiment" claim that the ITA is responsible for their bad spelling or dyslexia. I don't.
Trev said:
But there only triing to learn them properer.
Click to expand...
It mae have delayed mi abilitie to reed and rite english proper.
 
af123 said:
The Linux dictionary file has certainly evolved to include all manner of things including characters from TV franchises.

Here are the cie/cei lists from a proper more traditional UNIX operating system.
Click to expand...

wow, far fewer than the hundreds someone else claimed.
 
I was reading a book on photography. At some point it stated that something would require considerable magnification, as much as 100%.

WTF did that mean?
 
Doesn't sound considerable, though.


The context leads me to think the author meant one hundredfold.
 
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