OASIS LegalDocumentML (LegalDocML) TC

  • 1.  Judgement vs judgment

    Posted 02-20-2013 17:00




    My research into the best spelling for judgement/judgment was brief and inconclusive.
     
    American spelling is unambiguously judgment, following Noah Webster’s dictum of dropping a final silent “e” before adding a suffix. Eg, judge, judging, judgment. Cache, caching. Etc.
     
    The OED accepts both spellings and lists judgement as the preferred spelling.
     
    The Cambridge dictionary accepts both spellings and lists judgment as the preferred spelling.
     
    Fowler and the OED seem to prefer judgement because of the long history of such spelling in religious material. However, in my brief investigation almost every citation in the OED since 1800 dealing with legal matters uses judgment.
     
    Since we are using British spelling, I would like to see some something more definitive than my dip into the OED on whether legal usage really is judgment. But British usage doesn’t seem definitively on the side of judgement over judgment.
     
    Roger Sperberg
     
    973-200-4224 primary
    roger.sperberg@lexisnexis.com
     






  • 2.  RE: Judgement vs judgment

    Posted 02-20-2013 17:08




    Oxford Dictionaries says the following on this:
     
    " In British English the normal spelling in general contexts is
    judgement . However, the spelling
    judgment is conventional in legal contexts, and in North American English. "
     
    http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/judgement
     
    Backing up your assertion that legal usage is "judgment" in British English.
     
     
    cheers
     
    Mark
     


    From: legaldocml@lists.oasis-open.org [mailto:legaldocml@lists.oasis-open.org]
    On Behalf Of Sperberg, Roger (LNG-NYC)
    Sent: 20 February 2013 16:58
    To: legaldocml@lists.oasis-open.org
    Subject: [legaldocml] Judgement vs judgment


     
    My research into the best spelling for judgement/judgment was brief and inconclusive.
     
    American spelling is unambiguously judgment, following Noah Webster’s dictum of dropping a final silent “e” before adding a suffix. Eg, judge, judging, judgment. Cache, caching. Etc.
     
    The OED accepts both spellings and lists judgement as the preferred spelling.
     
    The Cambridge dictionary accepts both spellings and lists judgment as the preferred spelling.
     
    Fowler and the OED seem to prefer judgement because of the long history of such spelling in religious material. However, in my brief investigation almost every citation in the OED since 1800 dealing with legal matters
    uses judgment.
     
    Since we are using British spelling, I would like to see some something more definitive than my dip into the OED on whether legal usage really is judgment. But British usage doesn’t seem definitively on the side of judgement
    over judgment.
     
    Roger Sperberg
     
    973-200-4224 primary
    roger.sperberg@lexisnexis.com
     




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