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Hey, guys.
There's a spelling trend I've noticed within the last few years (probably older than that, but I didn't pay attention before), and I'm wondering if it's a common occurence. I've begun seeing people spell "barbecue" with a Q instead of a C. I assume it's because the abbreviation contains a Q, and therefore it's worked its way into the spelled out version as well. Is there a term for this sort of transformation, when a word spelled incorrectly becomes the norm after time? Is "barbeque" even considered incorrect anymore?
Side note: upon said barbecue, does one cook a filet or a fillet? I've been told that "filet" is for red meat, and "fillet" is for fish. Are these spellings interchangeable? Is all this talk of food making you as hungry as I am?
Thanks in advance!
Yes, "barbeque" is indeed listed by many dictionaries an accepted variant spelling. A quick check shows it in Webster's New World (4th ed.), Merriam-Webster (11th), and Encarta. The Oxford American lists it as a "misspelling," with a usage note that says exactly what you hypothesized: "This common form arises understandably from a confused conflation of the proper spelling barbecue, the abbreviation Bar-B-Q, and phonetic spelling. Its frequency does not quite justify it: in no other English word does que attain the status of a stand-alone, terminal syllable."
"Fillet" seems to be the most accepted spelling in most dictionaries, although "filet" is always given as a variant (and is the proper spelling in the context of the phrase "filet mignon," which might be the source of the theory about red meat vs. fish). Filet is the spelling in French.
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
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