Language desk
< July 9	<< Jun \| July \| Aug >>	July 11 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Language Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

July 10[edit]

Arabic help: Bayan School[edit]

What is the Arabic in this image? http://www.bayanschool.edu.bh/templates/ja_university/themes/green/images/logo.png

Thanks WhisperToMe (talk) 05:43, 10 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Madrasat Bayân al-Bahrain, which is the school's name in Arabic. Someone with access to an Arabic font can write it down in Arabic. --Xuxl (talk) 09:28, 10 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]

In Arabic it's "مدرسة بيان البحرين". Adam Bishop (talk) 09:36, 10 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]

To both of you, thank you! WhisperToMe (talk) 00:32, 11 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Urgent Russian translation needed[edit]

Grateful for any help https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/26523028/Image1.jpg

Moondyne (talk) 07:59, 10 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Lamb shoulder on the bone (square cut) frozen
Made in Australia
Keep frozen. Storage temperature -20 C
Net weight: see the other label
Pack date: see the other label
Company name and address:
Factory number: 572
Expiration date: 12 months since packing
--Lüboslóv Yęzýkin (talk) 00:46, 11 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Excellent, thanks. Moondyne (talk) 08:31, 11 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Aluminium[edit]

I use the above spelling with the British (I believe) pronunciation (and it drives people crazy!) I also see it spelled "Aluminum" - is that just the corrosponding spelling for the other pronunciation? Which version(s) are official and where? Thanks! --Yellow1996 (talk) 20:56, 10 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]

See Aluminium#Etymology. Lectonar (talk) 20:58, 10 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]

See Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Spelling.—Wavelength (talk) 21:08, 10 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Ah, so it's just my British favour again; thanks for the info, guys! :) --Yellow1996 (talk) 00:46, 11 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]

It could be worse: "Iodine" as Io-DYNE vs. Io-DEEN. "Iron" as EYE-urn vs. EYE-run. etc. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 03:15, 11 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]

o/~You burnt your finger that evening, while my back was turned... Tevildo (talk) 21:52, 11 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Wow, that's a seriously obscure oldie. :) ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:11, 11 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]

WHAAOE. Tevildo (talk) 23:18, 11 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]

To me - and I think most British speakers "iron" and "ion" are homophones. --ColinFine (talk) 18:30, 11 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]

True - I use the former for both of those. I think how I picked up al-u-min-ium was seeing it spelled like that 'aluminium' in the books I read (usually from the 50's to 80's) and pronouncing it as I saw it spelled. If I saw the 'aluminum' spelling more I probably would be saying al-u-minum. --Yellow1996 (talk) 16:26, 11 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]

The slightly twisted history of that metal's name may be of interest.[1] All efforts to standardize its pronunciation have so far been foiled. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:11, 11 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Then there's "comptroller", which is a corrupted spelling of "controller",[2] and which some say should be pronounced "comptroller" and others say it should be pronounced "controller". ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 22:13, 11 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Well, aren't we all comptrollers at times? ;) --Yellow1996 (talk) 01:15, 12 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Yeah there was also alumium... hmmm interesting stuff! Thanks, Bugs! :) --Yellow1996 (talk) 01:15, 12 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]

I was watching for it to say someone tried again, by calling it "aluminiumium", subtly referencing one of the three little maids from school, but I guess they decided that was excessive. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 02:09, 12 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Bugs, you're probably old enough to recall the TV shows The Alcoa Hour and Alcoa Theatre, on which, as I recall, the commercials used to mention the company's Canadian affiliate Aluminium Limited. To the best of my knowledge, that was my first exposure to the British spelling of aluminum. Deor (talk) 16:21, 12 July 2013 (UTC)[reply]