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Subject:Enquiries/Inquiries From:George Wilkerson <George_Wilkerson -at- PC -dot- RADIAN -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 11 Aug 1995 11:19:21 CDT
My Fowler's says (in very few words, which is rare for Mr. Fowler),
"There is a tendency, which deserves encouragement, to differentiate
Enquir(e)(y) and INquir(e)(y) by using en- as a formal word for ASK and in- for
an investigation, e.g. "The enquired when the Court of Inquiry was to sit."
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Re: Enquiries/Inquiries
Author: grant -at- onyxgfx -dot- com at INTERNET
Date: 8/11/95 11:12 AM
To judge from my Concise Oxford Dictionary,
the difference depends on whether you favour Latin or Greek roots. :-)
On the other hand, I would agree with your sense that an "Inquiry"
is something that an official body conducts. (viz. "Inquest")
Grant.
just rootin' around.....
--- re: Anne Casey's message "Enquiries/Inquiries" ---
> I need the collected wisdom to adjudicate on a matter.
> I recently corrected someone using 'Inquiries' -
> and his response was that although he preferred
> Enquiries, the Oxford dictionary he consulted
> suggested that Enquiries is an alternate spelling.
> My understanding is that an Enquiry is to ask, and
> Inquiry is, for example, a Judicial Inquiry, or
> even the Inquisition; less of a request and more
> an investigation.
> So - am I right? I dearly hope so, because Inquiries
> always makes me squirm.
> Thanks people,
> Anne Casey
> Techwriter from the end of the Internet
===================================
Grant Hogarth, Information Services
Onyx Graphics Corp. Midvale, UT
It's not that big a net, but I wouldn't want to miss it...
