this has been bugging me since i started fencing

[sabrefencer93]

this may seem like a silly question but is the proper spelling of Sabre, "sabre" or "saber"

[Allen Evans]

Exactly.

[Dr Epee]

Exactly.

Yep, that's it.

[teacup]

Calibre, caliber, theatre, theater, centre, center, etc.
English vs American

[DangerMouse]

But don't we Americans use English?

[tchwojko]

But don't we Americans use English?

As far as I've been able to tell, once you get beyond 2nd generation immigrants, no.

[CvilleFencer]

But don't we Americans use English?

Obviously you have not spent significant time associating with Creole or Texans...

[Fiat Slug]

this may seem like a silly question but is the proper spelling of Sabre, "sabre" or "saber"

The word traces its origin to French, who spells it "sabre". The English kept the same spelling. We Americans generally dislike the -re ending so we changed it to saber.

I did just notice that the USFA seems to favor the sabre spelling. This seems rather un-American. Perhaps some of the right-wingers on this forum can start a thread on that.

[Lady Quindecim]

But don't we Americans use English?

Ever notice how (good) spell checks have them listed separately? English (UK) and English (US)

What is funny is when the non-native English English speakers who learned British come to a place with a rather casual pidgin of an American dialect, get frustrated because us "native English" speakers can't understand them.

And that is before we get into the colloquial idioms.

[Peach]

. . . and "basic English" itself is an amalgam of the various Germanic (Anglo-Saxon) dialects of Old English, Norman French, Scandinavian language (because of the Viking raiders), and Latin, plus loanwords from modern French, Japanese, and a number of other languages.

As the T-shirt my coach gave me says, "English doesn't borrow from other languages. English follows other languages into dark alleys, beats them up for their words and goes through their pockets for loose grammar."

[Mr.MightyMouse]

On the other hand - quite a few words were coined by various English writers - giving it a very creative and expressive side.

[Greybeard]

epee. I am surprised no one here knew that

[pinkelephant]

Slappy sticks. As opposed to fairy sticks (foil) or pokey sticks (epee).

[sabrefencer93]

Slappy sticks. As opposed to fairy sticks (foil) or pokey sticks (epee).

this just made me laugh so hard! that made my day!

[teacup]

But don't we Americans use English?

Not exactly, English with American spelling. (Canadians use English spellings.)
Favourite/favorite, humour/humor, neighbourhood/neighborhood, armour/armor, armourer/armorer,, favour/favor, glamour/glamor, colour/color, behaviour/behavior, flavour/flavor, vigour/vigor, etc. etc.

The sabre fencer went to the armourer.
The saber fencer went to the armorer.

[KD5MDK]

. . . and "basic English" itself is an amalgam of the various Germanic (Anglo-Saxon) dialects of Old English, Norman French, Scandinavian language (because of the Viking raiders), and Latin, plus loanwords from modern French, Japanese, and a number of other languages.

As the T-shirt my coach gave me says, "English doesn't borrow from other languages. English follows other languages into dark alleys, beats them up for their words and goes through their pockets for loose grammar."

The original quote was "new vocabulary". See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Nicoll

[foibles]

It's not just sabre/ saber... In those parts of the world where they drive on the left side of the road, the pokey stick is typically spelled with the two Es on the left side of the P rather than the right... as in eepe. (and they pronounce it "eee-pay").

The eepe fencer went to the Stag and Wigglepig pub to drink a pint of bitter.
The epee fencer went to Hooters for wings and beer.

[Happyman001]

Obviously you have not spent significant time associating with Creole or Texans...

Creoles are hot.

[pinkelephant]

It's not just sabre/ saber... In those parts of the world where they drive on the left side of the road, the pokey stick is typically spelled with the two Es on the left side of the P rather than the right... as in eepe. (and they pronounce it "eee-pay").

The eepe fencer went to the Stag and Wigglepig pub to drink a pint of bitter.
The epee fencer went to Hooters for wings and beer.

As someone who drives on the left of the road, this took me by surprise - I have never seen epee spelt that way.

[Empty Wallet]

I think he was referring to New Zealand -- a very odd place, full of hobbits.