I believe the French influence is due to Jean-Pierre Changeux. I do not
know for sure.
Ron Blue
http://turn.to/ai
----- Original Message -----
From: "Charles M. Huffman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Stephen Black" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "TIPS" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, October 10, 2000 11:12 PM
Subject: RE: Booting bouton
> Stephen is correct; however, why is it spelled "button" (pronounced,
but'n)
> in the textbooks? One of the definitions of a "button" is: 4. Any of
> various knoblike organic structures, especially; a. The head of a small
> mushroom. b. The tip of a rattlesnake's tail.
>
> Might there be some French influence on the pronunciation? In John
> Mitterrer's videodisc from the early 90's (Dynamic Concepts in
> Psychology--Harcourt Brace) he pronounces it as "bouton." John is
Canadian,
> although I do not know if he is French-Canadian.
>
> I remain curious why the word is spelled button if the correct term is
> bouton.
>
> Chuck
>
> ****************************
> Charles M. Huffman, Ph.D.
> Chair, Psychology Department
> Cumberland College, Box 7990
> Williamsburg, KY 40769
> (606) 539-4422
> ****************************
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Stephen Black [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> Sent: Tuesday, October 10, 2000 10:14 PM
> To: TIPS
> Subject: Booting bouton
>
>
> On Tue, 10 Oct 2000, Beth Benoit wrote:
>
> > There's a discussion going on in one of my classes on the pronunciation
of
> > "buttons" (the "terminal" neuron kind, not the ones on a jacket). Some
> have
> > been taught to pronounce it to sound like "boot-ONS" with accent on
"ons,"
> > while others the same as the clothing item. (I was taught the clothing
> > pronunciation.) The students who pronounced it boot-ONS weren't French,
> so
> > I ruled that out.
> >
> > Anyone taught it the boot-ON way? If there's any interest, please
respond
> > offlist and I'll compile the figures.
>
> After sending Beth a private note, I just realized I misread her
> question and my response makes no sense. So now that I
> understand what she's looking for, I decided to go the scholarly
> route. Pronunciation isn't a democracy, anyway. The on-line
> medical dictionary didn't have it, but the regular one at
> http://www.dictionary.com/ did.
>
> Here's what it said:
>
> bou ton
> n.
>
> A knoblike enlargement at the end of an axon, where it synapses
> with other neurons.
>
> Unfortunately, the pronunciation marks don't reproduce with my
> mailer, but they specify boot-ON (accent on the second
> syllable).
>
> Case closed?
>
> -Stephen
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Stephen Black, Ph.D. tel: (819) 822-9600 ext 2470
> Department of Psychology fax: (819) 822-9661
> Bishop's University e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Lennoxville, QC
> J1M 1Z7
> Canada Department web page at http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/soc/psy
> Check out TIPS listserv for teachers of psychology at:
> http://www.frostburg.edu/dept/psyc/southerly/tips/
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
