Overkill Signage

Catherine Penfold-Waxman: 12th Jun 2006 - 21:31 GMT

You cannot enter unless you are: authorised (twice), wearing a hardhat and safety equipment, have put your smoke out, are watching out for the step and falling things, and able to close the door behind you. And it helps if you have the key to the padlock.

barry: 13th Jun 2006 - 02:31 GMT

Not much of a lock.The spelling on CN has gone to the dogs.

Peter: 13th Jun 2006 - 13:25 GMT

i think a working knowlege of spanish is also required... PELIGRO! CIADA DE MATERIAL!

Catherine Penfold-Waxman: 13th Jun 2006 - 14:27 GMT

I have dual citizenship, therefore I can spell anything any way I want. If you don't like it, I will invade and applogise the whole time. I will wear a cowboy hat and wellie boots. So there. (Actually, Jamie, I just don't know how to spell. It's quite sad really as I am a writer.)

elaine: 13th Jun 2006 - 14:36 GMT

my yankophilia only stretches to pronunciation and actual words. there is no point in asking where the nearest laundrette is or for tom-ah-toes in america. i am old timey enough to insist on english spellings in my blog, against the advice of the spelling fascist. however, wert i to go to live in the usa i think i would use american english rather than international english. i prefer the name 'international english' it seems more, well, international.
but catherine, i saw that, and it was a reversion to type typo, innit! you can't pretend you get away with english english in advertising in new yoik, you're yanking our chain!

EvilGentleman: 13th Jun 2006 - 14:47 GMT

I betcha a kwaatah that she shall revert to that accursed blutty Americun English before her next cawfee, mite. But some there people prefer that there English used in the Encyclopædia Britannica, y'all. How's DAT for international English, eh? You like it, eh? I speak for all the New Yorker-Limey-Canuck-Ozzie-Texan-Hillbillies, however-so-many they may be.

Catherine Penfold-Waxman: 13th Jun 2006 - 15:23 GMT

I use American English at work. My Microsoft Word automatically corrects it. Plus, two other writers read everything I do as well as account execs. Also, we have proofreaders who are the last line of defence against incorrect spelling.
Nice phonetics, EvilG. Try Feersum Endjinn by Neal Stephenson. it is written entirely phoneticly, with dialects thrown in.

EvilGentleman: 13th Jun 2006 - 18:37 GMT

Fə-nĕt'ĭks? Wŭt fə-nĕt'ĭks? Sŭm'tīmz' yū māk ăb'sə-lūt'lē nō sĕns hwŭt'sō-ĕv'ər, ī swâr.

Catherine Penfold-Waxman: 13th Jun 2006 - 18:50 GMT

How on earth do you get the e to be upside down? Do you have some kind of special Canadian keyboard?

Peter: 13th Jun 2006 - 18:53 GMT

its all about "character map"...

start-button -> programs -> accessories -> system-tools -> character-map... voila! all the characters you could ever want, right at your copy-n-paste fingertips ;)

Peter: 13th Jun 2006 - 19:51 GMT

oops. though on an xp box now, i prefer mac at home. so. im assuming youre running osx... in which case they call it "character palette". it should be in the "edit" menu of any osx native app.

put cursor where you want character -> edit -> special-characters -> (character palette opens) -> chose character you want ->double-click it

:D

EvilGentleman: 13th Jun 2006 - 21:58 GMT

Actually, I just looked up the definitions on Answers.com and cut-and-pasted the phonetics. But nice idea, using the character map. Time-consuming, but nice...

Jamie: 14th Jun 2006 - 09:11 GMT

where's the 'any' key? i need to press it to continue

Catherine Penfold-Waxman: 14th Jun 2006 - 13:24 GMT

It's next to the panic button, to the left of your purple troll.

Nancy: 9th Jul 2006 - 16:33 GMT

I'm keeping those last two on my desktop. Cat, speak the Queen's English or the English of Queens (NY), no matter. Communication is the important thing, and I have no trouble understanding you.

Susannah: 22nd Jul 2006 - 13:05 GMT

I think there's a high stakes poker game (or maybe dominos) going on behind that door.