Wikipedia users edits over 90k uses of “comprised of”

Re:Wikipedia users edits over 90k uses of “comprised of” by tsimionescu on Saturday May 06, 2023 @02:38AM (#35838702)

This is a completely different example, as this is only a spelling mistake/difference. When these people write "break", they clearly mean "brake". They are not adding the meaning of decelerate to the verb that means to tear into pieces.

The evolution of writing is separate from the evolution of language in general. Read and read are still different words even if they are written the same. If the spelling "brake" for declaration fell out of favor and "break" was used for both words, this wouldn't change anything about the English language. The two are already homophones, and they would be far from the only homographs in English.

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Re:Wikipedia users edits over 90k uses of “comprised of” by mock-possum on Saturday May 06, 2023 @03:18AM (#35839010)

I actually think it’s close enough that they could be mistaking the root meaning; think of ‘break’ in terms of elemental forces - a windbreak, a breakwater, a firebreak - think of how ‘taking a break’ is slowing down, is decelerating, is ‘braking.’ Breaks slow the movement of energy through a medium. Brake is a pretty easy mistake to make if you’re not sure which is which.

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