Programmed code generation (was: Self-modifying code)

[Ray Butterworth]

In article <1051 at garth.UUCP>, smryan at garth.UUCP (Steven Ryan) writes:
> >Because my Webster's indicates that *realize* is the only valid spelling!
> I have a dictionary that says -ise is normal and -ize is an american variant.

That's funny.  My Oxford English Dictionary says that -ize is the
correct English spelling everywhere and that -ise is an acceptable
British variant.

Here's an excerpt from the Oxford English Dictionary:

   "-isation", frequent variant of "-ization".
   
   "ise", a frequent spelling of "ize", suffix forming verbs, which see.
   
   "-ization", suffix forming nouns of action from verbs, in "ize".
   
   "ize", suffix forming verbs. ... and this became established as the
   normal form form for the latinizing of Greek verbs, or the formation
   of verbs upon Greek analogies.  ... in modern French, the suffix has
   become "iser" ....  Hence, some have used the spelling "ise" in English,
   as in French, ... and some prefer "ise" in words formed in French
   or English from Latin elements, retaining "ize" for those of Greek
   composition.  But the suffix itself, whatever the element to which
   it is added, is in its origin the Greek iota-zeta-epsilon-iota-nu,
   Latin "izare"; and, as the pronounciation is also with z, there is
   no reason why in English the special French spelling should be followed,
   in opposition to that which is at once etymological and phonetic.
   In this Dictionary the termination is uniformly written "ize".

Note especially the last three lines:  "there is no reason why ...".

The unix spell program is especially bad on this.
The man page even documents that it is wrong.

The -ize words really should be put into the common word list.
Insisting on -ise with the -b option is almost as bad as
insisting on "nite" and rejecting "night" for American spelling.