On 13 Oct 2007, at 23:44, Peter Selinger wrote:
Hi Mícheál,
thanks for your reply. Something I had not appreciated, but which is evident from the replies I have received, is that the accented spelling is still at least somewhat common, even outside mathematics, in the UK (and perhaps other countries like Ireland, Australia...). In those countries, it is possibly considered a sign of being educated, or refined, or old-fashioned (as you suggest!), or all of the above.
This is in contrast to North America, where the spelling is completely extinct, and using it isn't a sign of anything at all!
Best, -- Peter
============== Hi Peter, Thanks for the personal reply. It's well appreciated. As an addendum, I ought to remark that my wife is Belgian-French and the role is equally happy with the r\^ole in English but NOT in French :-) Some of us are also likely to use spelling for heightened artistic effect — much like the "punctum" of a "fotograf". The strangeness draws attention in a world of banalities :-) kind regards Mícheál