this post was submitted on 11 Jun 2024
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Mildly Interesting

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[–] ShaunaTheDead@fedia.io 98 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (10 children)

"Matt" paste? Isn't it "matte" or am I taking crazy pills again?

Edit: What the fuck... It's spelled differently in the UK, the US, and Canada (where I'm from). It's matte in Canada, mat in US, and matt in the UK.

From the Government of Canada website: https://www.noslangues-ourlanguages.gc.ca/en/writing-tips-plus/matte-mat-matt

[–] PrimeErective@startrek.website 149 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Pretty sure it's matte in the US, too

[–] MeaanBeaan@lemmy.world 85 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Seconded. Literally have never seen it spelled mat.

[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 14 points 1 year ago (2 children)

"Mat" is a small rug usually for wiping shoes on. "Matt" is a boy's name, short for Matthew. "Matte" means the opposite of glossy.

[–] avogadro@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Mat is a man with no arms and no legs on the floor

[–] Natanael@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

In Swedish, mat is food

[–] Moneo@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Colour me surprised, at least you greybeards have honour enough to spell some words correct.

[–] Serinus@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

'u' died with the Queen. Have yo no respect?

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Shooldn't it be Qeen, or did "U" get berried with her?

[–] Classy@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 year ago

I appreciate your cheekiness, sir

[–] Anticorp@lemmy.world 63 points 1 year ago

It's definitely matte in the USA.

[–] papalonian@lemmy.world 44 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Thirding the notion that it's definitely not "mat" in the US. A mat is something you put on the ground, Matt is my cousin's ex-fiance, and matte is a surface finish with little to no shine.

Really don't know what people say English is hard to learn, we use the same word for so many things that there's fewer words to learn /s

[–] Steve@startrek.website 19 points 1 year ago

USA here- matte

[–] steal_your_face@lemmy.ml 17 points 1 year ago

It’s matte in the US. I think the manufacturer is just being silly

[–] ColonelPanic@lemm.ee 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

From the UK. I've never seen matte spelled as matt. CA, UK and AU are generally pretty close with spelling, whereas the US is usually off doing its own thing. It's a similar thing to blonde and blond.

[–] Rivalarrival@lemmy.today 20 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Blonde = female; blond = male

[–] spaduf@slrpnk.net 10 points 1 year ago

But that's the french's fault.

[–] Blizzard@lemmy.zip 5 points 1 year ago

I thought it was blond = hair colour and blonde = person with blond hair.

[–] samus12345@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (3 children)
[–] Steve@startrek.website 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] Rivalarrival@lemmy.today 7 points 1 year ago

I shit you not, that is the etymological distinction between the two.

How strictly that distinction is observed is an open question.

[–] wreckedcarzz@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Now I'm not saying anything, but I dated a Matt, and he did produce a lot of paste... I'd have to run the numbers to see if it's viable for mass-production though.

[–] SkyezOpen@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Hmm, did you try it in your hair though?

[–] mitchty@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yep all 3 are valid, matte is the new variant. https://www.etymonline.com/word/matte#etymonline_v_9722

And I’ve seen all 3 in use in the USA. It’s not matte = Canada. I’ve seen matte more than mat which is historically the spelling. The oed doesn’t list matt as the proper spelling but who knows with the brits.

[–] Hugh_Jeggs@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Chamber's dictionary has it as "Mat, or Matt, or matte" stating that it comes from the French "mat" or the German "matt", so fuck knows where matte comes from!

[–] P1nkman@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Probably my Stavanger-dialect in Norway. It's matt in Norwegian, but matte in my dialect.

[–] force@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The American spelling "matte" probably comes from the spelling "mate" derived from French "mate", and doubling the "t" to differentiate it from "mate". The British spelling "matt" was probably primarily influenced by the German word "Matt" considering the UK tended to have more German influence.

Alternatively, either (or both) may be an etymological spelling from Latin "mattus" (which means "drunk" but likely became a word for "pale" in French).

While I am a linguist, I only deduced this from a bit of Googling and a lot of speculating, so don't take my word for it...

[–] MaxSebastian@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

I'm like 90% sure it's matte in the UK.