Very small mistake

[MPB]

Okay guys, I've spotted a very minor mistake in the user CP and I've been thinking whether or not to inform you about it. You see, I really don't want to come across as a nitpicker or anything so I truly apologise if you take offense to my discovery. And I could always be wrong about it anyway. Though I realised that some people must work damn hard for this this site, so I owe it to them, to bring a little mistake to their attention. I'm new here, but thinking that helped give me the courage to post this. Please don't take offense!

Okay, in the "User CP", in "edit profile" and under the words "Country/city of residence", it says "Where your live". Should that not be "Where you live"? Again, I am truly sorry if I'm wrong and have wasted your time. But it just didn't make sense to me. Hope I've been of some assistance.

 

[lexico]

Hey, I'm no staff, but I believe you're helping. Thanks for caring ... that came with being new to the forum !

 

[Iron Chef]

Thanks for picking up on that, much obliged. Hopefully one of the Admins can get to correcting that when they have the chance.

 

[thomas]

Much obliged for your help. I have updated the profile field in question.

 

[Mike Cash]

While we're on small things.....

Why "donator" instead of "donor"?

 

[bossel]

Why "donator" instead of "donor"?

Being a non-native speaker: Isn't it the same?

 

[Mike Cash]

"Donator" strikes me as being wrong, somehow. I checked the two on dictionary.com and learned that "donator" is a back-formation from "donation", so I guess it is a real word....but I've never thought of it as one.

 

[Tsuwabuki]

My degree is in English, and Mike is correct. Donator is archaic, not used in common English. Donor is most correct.

 

[alexriversan]

seems to be you spotted a bug, indeed. people read and read the labels, but they do not see these small mistakes!

 

[bossel]

Thanks, Mike & Kionon. Didn't know that, in my COD it's not marked as archaic.

 

[Grandpa Frank]

I Think....

of a donor as one who gives blood and donator as one who gives money. Must be a New England thing?

Frank

 

[Mike Cash]

This is a particularly odd case, I think. As I mentioned above, "donator" is a back-formation from "donation". In other words, the word doesn't derive from adding a suffix to "donate"; it derives from removing a suffix from "donation" and then adding the "-or" suffix. This is easier to understand when you consider the very bizarre fact that the word "donate" itself is a back-formation from "donation". It used to be that the word "donation" was considered acceptable, while "donate" was considered to not really be a word at all. I realize that on the surface that seems not to make sense, but hey....this is English we're talking about.

 

[Tsuwabuki]

Actually, I should have been clearer. I didn't honestly know if the word was marked archaic, I just know that it was an older term no longer in use. I have heard it before, it just isn't really acceptable. You'd never say "campaign donator" for politics, so why would a "forum donator" be any more correct? You'd say "campaign donor" or "political donor." Truth of the matter is that it is "technically" correct, which doesn't mean very much in English. Correct does not mean standard.