this post was submitted on 10 Nov 2025
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General Memes & Private Chuckle

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[–] voxthefox@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 1 day ago

Why say more syllable when few do

[–] infinitesunrise@slrpnk.net 29 points 2 days ago (2 children)

It was a British guy who first fucked it up. Cope, Brits.

[–] Hyperrealism@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Potassium (K) is called Kalium in New Latin and a variation thereof in plenty of languages. It makes far more sense. The symbol's K in the periodic table an the eymological link with alkali is in the word. The Brits don't have a leg to stand on.

Then again, Americans are stupid about the metric system. Think they can't visualize what 1 meter is, but almost every American can visualize the length of an M16A4 just fine.

[–] infinitesunrise@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Most Americans aren't actually too biased against metric, I'd say that's a stereotype boosted by an extremely vocal minority. The real problem is that most of us can't visualize the length of a yard or mile any better than we can a meter or kilometer. It's more an across the board lack of education.

A kilometer is 1000 M16A4s.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 10 points 2 days ago

Same as with soccer

[–] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 6 points 2 days ago

In America do you call it copum?

[–] rainbowbunny@slrpnk.net 8 points 2 days ago (2 children)

And Mathematics is singular, not plural, so shortening it would be "Math" not "Maths."

But it's better to appreciate differences in the pronunciations and spellings of words

[–] Stamets@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] spicehoarder@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] Stamets@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 day ago

PRECISELY! Thank you for proving it! If a single maths-based event occurs then it is called 'mathematical', as in the singular! Meaning that the term 'mathematics' is plural <3

[–] Agent641@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago
[–] Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz 24 points 2 days ago (4 children)

You're right, we should fix that. Helum, Lithum, Beryllum, Sodum, Magnesum.

We should also fix Platinium and Lanthanium.

[–] QuoVadisHomines@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Do we add ium to lead and gold?

[–] Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz 3 points 1 day ago

Leadium and Goldium.

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[–] BotsRuinedEverything@lemmy.world 57 points 3 days ago (13 children)

It was pronounced aluminum first. The Brits changed it purposely to sound fancy.

[–] edgemaster72@lemmy.world 63 points 3 days ago (1 children)
[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

Yes, but only Argon. Nitrogenium, Carbonium, Phosphorusium, Hydrogenium, Xenonium…

[–] FilthyHands@sh.itjust.works 117 points 3 days ago (1 children)
[–] BlueLineBae@midwest.social 59 points 3 days ago

*Platuminium

[–] biotin7@sopuli.xyz 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)
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[–] epicstove@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago

This is really funny as a bilingual person.

When I speak English to my white friends I say Aluminum.

When I speak Sinhala to family I say Aluminium.

[–] SuperNovaStar@lemmy.blahaj.zone 88 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Technically the guy who discovered it named it Alumium.

[–] MyTurtleSwimsUpsideDown@fedia.io 72 points 3 days ago (4 children)

Alumium first, but then called it aluminum

It kinda reminds me of how the Brits invented the word “soccer” and now get their knickers in a twist if you say it in front of them.

[–] kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 25 points 3 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

The one that gets me is they bitch about calling the season Fall. They claim that Americans are so basic and stupid that we can only think to name the season after the leaves falling. They think that the name Autumn (which we also use), borrowed from French, is a far better name for the season.

First of all, we get it. You have your nose firmly up the collective asses of the French, Britain. It's a very pretty language, but maybe you could stop butchering their language for 5 minutes if you're going to be criticizing others for their English.

Second, you are the ones who came up with the name "Fall", Brits. Fall is indeed short for "The Fall of the Leaf". That term predates the US entirely, by almost two centuries, at least. And while you may think to judge us for continuing to use such an obvious name, I have bad news. Because you still use its complement, Spring, short for "The Spring of the Leaf". Say what you will about American English, but at least, in this, we're consistent.

[–] jqubed@lemmy.world 13 points 3 days ago

A friend of mine from my TV days was working in South Africa when they hosted the association football World Cup and wound up talking to a woman who worked for the Football Association (the sport’s governing body in England and the reason the sport is called association football). She was angrily insisting to him that Americans invented the name “soccer” and that it never had that name in England. She might have been inebriated, but that was a lot to be confidently incorrect about her own employer.

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[–] Deceptichum@quokk.au 48 points 3 days ago (2 children)

And the Americans started off by calling it Aluminium while the Brits called it Aluminum.

Mr.Webster of dictionary fame decided to only use Aluminum in his publication so that took over.

The Brits changed to using Aluminium after a German called it as such.

[–] resipsaloquitur@lemmy.world 27 points 3 days ago

Same Brits tricked us into calling it soccer then changed their minds.

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[–] Filthmontane@lemmy.zip 55 points 3 days ago (1 children)

So true! The next three elements that come right after it are Siliconium, Phosphorusium, and Sulfurium! So why wouldn't it be Aluminium?! LOL

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[–] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 24 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (8 children)

You know what really grinds my gears as a non-native speaker? Salmon. Why in the motherfuckium does that word have a silent L?? Get a spelling reform you assholes.

[–] NewSocialWhoDis@lemmy.zip 35 points 3 days ago (9 children)

Now try: "Colonel"

As a native speaker, I think it's orders of magnitude worse.

[–] sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone 13 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Y'all are out here gonna ignore "Lieutenant" as 'LeFtenant' ?

[–] NewSocialWhoDis@lemmy.zip 11 points 3 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (8 children)

TBF, Americans say Loo-ten-unt. I don't know where the British got the F, but you can't use the meme from the post for it!

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[–] Sir_Simon_Spamalot@lemmy.world 17 points 3 days ago (2 children)

That's not even an issue.

Try asking them why renaming Natrium to Sodium.

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[–] sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 32 points 3 days ago (7 children)

Alum-

A lu min-

Alumi-

Refined Bauxite.

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[–] 18107@aussie.zone 15 points 3 days ago

Aluminuminium. Make everyone angry.

[–] TheOakTree@lemmy.zip 5 points 2 days ago

So is it Molybdenium now?

[–] MaybeNaught@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Well, the problem is saying that almost all the elements end with -ium, which makes this a non-issue from the jump. Also, according to the wiki article on aluminum, the US and UK basically swapped their preferred spellings - the -ium form was first preferred in the US, while the UK preferred the -um form, then they each adopted the other instead.

[–] Hyperrealism@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Also: the latin for lead(Pb) is plumbum, not plumbium. Same thing for gold(Au). It's Aurum, not Aurium. Same for Iron(Fe). Ferrum not Ferrium.

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