this post was submitted on 11 Jun 2024
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Mildly Interesting

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[–] ShaunaTheDead@fedia.io 98 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months 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 147 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Pretty sure it's matte in the US, too

[–] MeaanBeaan@lemmy.world 84 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Seconded. Literally have never seen it spelled mat.

[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 14 points 3 months 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 3 months ago

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

[–] Natanael@slrpnk.net 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

In Swedish, mat is food

[–] Moneo@lemmy.world 5 points 3 months ago (1 children)

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

[–] Serinus@lemmy.world 9 points 3 months ago (1 children)

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

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 11 points 3 months ago (1 children)

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

[–] Classy@sh.itjust.works 4 points 3 months ago

I appreciate your cheekiness, sir

[–] Anticorp@lemmy.world 63 points 3 months ago

It's definitely matte in the USA.

[–] papalonian@lemmy.world 44 points 3 months 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 3 months ago

USA here- matte

[–] steal_your_face@lemmy.ml 17 points 3 months ago

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

[–] ColonelPanic@lemm.ee 15 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months 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 19 points 3 months ago (4 children)

Blonde = female; blond = male

[–] spaduf@slrpnk.net 10 points 3 months ago

But that's the french's fault.

[–] Blizzard@lemmy.zip 5 points 3 months ago

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

[–] samus12345@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago (3 children)
[–] rand_alpha19@moist.catsweat.com 8 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Blond because French defaults to the masculine form if the gender of the noun is indeterminate.

[–] Steve@startrek.website 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)
[–] Rivalarrival@lemmy.today 7 points 3 months 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 3 months 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 3 months ago (2 children)

Hmm, did you try it in your hair though?

[–] wreckedcarzz@lemmy.world 4 points 3 months ago

... no comment

[–] mitchty@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 3 months 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 3 months 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!

[–] force@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months 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...

[–] P1nkman@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago

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

[–] MaxSebastian@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago

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