... > > > > How dare you say Neanderthal! > > > > That's Neandertal. > > > > Greg Bear spells it Neandertal. > > > > Robert J. Sawyer spells it Neanderthal.
"Tal" is German for valley. It used to be spelled "Thal", and that's preserved in some place names. So either should be fine, but Julia's right, one should say "tal".
However, the Eudora spell-check insists that "Neanderthal" is spelled correctly and "Neandertal" is spelled incorrectly.
It's like L'Hospital, the French mathematician. Current texts spell his name using the "o with a hat over it" instead of an "os". This is certainly easier on the students, since one does not say the "s".
But that removes the opportunity for pun-loving students to express just how sick the topic makes them . . .
-- Ronn! :)
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