A website and blog by Peter Lewis
PostsIs Scrabulous racist? (Or is my English not as good as it should be?)
Like many, I've recently become quite a frequent player of Facebook's scrabble game, Scrabulous. However, I have discovered something rather odd with its dictionary. Specifically, it told me that:
English IS a valid word.
Welsh IS a valid word.
Scottish IS NOT a valid word.
Hmm.... okay. Perhaps it's to do with the fact that English and Welsh are also languages. Let's try some more.
French IS a valid word.
Belgian IS NOT a valid word.
German IS a valid word.
Italian IS NOT a valid word.
Okay, not the language thing.
What about words, which apart from being nationalities, are also part of a noun, like "French letter", "Welsh cake"? So what about "Spanish omelette", "Swiss cheese", "Danish bacon", "Irish stew"? I've no idea how many of these are actually in the dictionary (whichever dictionary).
Here's what Scrabulous says:
Spanish IS NOT a valid word.
Swiss IS a valid word.
Danish IS a valid word.
Irish IS NOT a valid word.
Here are some more:
Greek IS a valid word.
Egyptian IS a valid word.
Indian IS NOT a valid word.
Mexican IS NOT a valid word.
Australian IS NOT a valid word.
Afghan IS a valid word.
British IS NOT a valid word.
Hang on... "Afghan Hounds" but no "British Bulldog"?
I don't have a full copy of the Oxford English Dictionary to hand, but can anyone shed any light on this?
Topics:
Actually, according to Scrabulous' own rules, NONE of those countries should be allowed, because they're all proper nouns, and yet it let's them through - somebody needs to invent an English version of Scrabulous. In my own experience a word like 'lindy' (an American dance), not in the English dictionary, was allowed, and yet 'windsail', which is in the English dictionary, was not.
Nationality adjectives are usually not permitted, but some have now taken on alternative meanings - often derived from their association with the country, but used independently as nouns or verbs, with lowercase spelling.
For example:
Tonight I shall french a rib chop (cut the end off) and sit down on my afghan to eat (rug), and have an apple danish for dessert.
As you see, the above words are in lowercase, to reflect their adapted meanings.
To greek a web page means to put in nonsense text. To welsh on a bet means not to pay your debt (although as a part-Welshman myself, I find that usage quite offensive). And a german is an obsolete word for a close relative.
I'm not sure about swiss and english - but the dictionary allows swisses and englished, indicating they are a noun an a verb.
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