Marilyn's Photos - July 17 2025 - Whilst

 

What do you think of the word "whilst"?  Or do you think about it?  Cathal Kelly started his column with this word today.  That's in the Sports section.  It is about The Open.  It isn't about the British Open.  Or The British Open.  It is about The Open.  So much said with upper case and no adjectives - the point of his article.  Whilst is getting hard to find in the search engine controlled by Google's AI, so I went onto Duck A Go Go even though it also has an AI search component that prefaces all retrievals with its "answer."   The story goes that while and whilst mean the same when we use them as conjunctions. They both mean ‘during the time that something else happens’, or ‘in contrast with something else’.  And the obvious: While is much more common than whilst, and whilst sounds more formal: From writing explained.org: Whilst is an old word. It originates from Middle English, and like many words from this era, was first used in the 14th century. Whilst is common in formal British English, but in American English, you rarely see this word, even in the most formal occasion. Whilst and while are two spellings of the same word, which can be used as a conjunction or an adverb. It means at the same time or whereas. The article by Cathal Kelly in today's globe is:  "At The British Open, establishing linguistic supremacy is the name of the game." I sought out more quotes from Kelly, as he is very humorous in his sports writing. I found this one from his book:  “(Umbert Eco) told a story about his library, which contained ten thousand volumes. (Someone) asked if he’d read all of them... « Of course I haven’t read them all. If I had, why would I keep them? » That line hit me like a lighting bolt. That was the purpose of life. Not accumulating knowledge, or rounding out an area of expertise or building a collection. But recognizing that for some people who come to it early and without being forced, LIFE IS A LONG SEARCH FOR THE NEXT GREAT BOOK.” ― Cathal Kelly, Boy Wonders: A memoir

Model layouts and contest entries from narrow gauge conventions past. Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca