Revert

[Global Citizen]

I think revert in this context is simply even if incorrectly used as "I'll get back to you."

Going by the definitions you posted, it sort of makes sense to me.

Quote: revert
verb (revert to)
1 return to (a previous state, condition, etc.).
2 Biology return to (a former or ancestral type).
3 Law (of property) return or pass to (the original owner) by reversion.

— ORIGIN Latin revertere 'turn back'.

[ksl]

Time flys by from this one, to his daughter in the next.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNyRU0fKHAY

Hi KSL - who is Kim Wilde's father??? We grew up with her and thanks for the posting, BTW!

Cheers, P & C

The video link before Kim wilde was her father Marty Wilde, you can view many songs on youtube! Yes its great to revert back to the 50's and 60's!

[banana]

My mummy didn't raise a dummy!

No ma'am, clearly not!

[bruinbear]

Yes I agree people in Singapore use the word 'revert' wrongly.

One example of common usage:

"Please revert with your decision by XXX date. Or pLease revert with your comment by YYY date."

This is wrong usage of the word revert.

It even happens at the very highest levels of management.

Try to find the opportunity to point out the error politely.

[maneo]

You would likely have more success trying to teach a Brit how to say aluminum.

[Forks]

All slightly suspect language usage you come across in Singapore are just examples of that wonderful language singlish, a language which may soon use words like "double plus good" instead of "wonderful".

Welcome to Singapore

[bruinbear]

I don't think Singlish can be considered a language.

[EADG]

I know where you're coming from, my guess is you're new here

this was actually the first weird English-ism I noticed when I arrived

I still have yet to use it in its incorrect form, but it's hard when it's misused so frequently

Why do people (and I know I'm generalising) use the word "revert" completely in the wrong way? According to the Oxford Dictionary Online (and various other sources):

It does not mean "reply" or other such nonsense.

OK, rant over.

don't worry, there are more where this one came from

[JermD]

I know where you're coming from, my guess is you're new here

this was actually the first weird English-ism I noticed when I arrived

I still have yet to use it in its incorrect form, but it's hard when it's misused so frequently

Why do people (and I know I'm generalising) use the word "revert" completely in the wrong way? According to the Oxford Dictionary Online (and various other sources):

It does not mean "reply" or other such nonsense.

OK, rant over.

don't worry, there are more where this one came from

Actually no, I've been here for more than two years - it's just the first time I've seen it used on an official/commercial Singaporean website.

[banana]

You would likely have more success trying to teach a Brit how to say aluminum.

Or a Canadian to say "about"

[Forks]

You would likely have more success trying to teach a Brit how to say aluminum.

Or a Canadian to say "about"

hahahaha Funny coz Im half Canadian and its not just "aboot" but also the over use of "eh?"

[JermD]

You would likely have more success trying to teach a Brit how to say aluminum.

The Brits do actually pronounce it correctly, it's just that they spell it differently to the Americans. "Aluminium" versus "aluminum". The extra "i" seems to change where the emphasis is placed, from the second vowel to the third.

[maneo]

I think your Brit acquaintances merely pronounced it American style for your benefit.

Amongst themselves they pronounce it "al-yuh-min-ee-uhm."
See http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/aluminium

No need to revert to me, eh.

[Global Citizen]

More on the Brits vs Americans pronunciation of a couple of words.

speciality

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/speciality

and

sexual (although this might depend on your state of mind at that time )

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sexual

At the end of the day, who really cares as long as one is understood.

[sundaymorningstaple]

You would likely have more success trying to teach a Brit how to say aluminum.

The Brits do actually pronounce it correctly, it's just that they spell it differently to the Americans. "Aluminium" versus "aluminum". The extra "i" seems to change where the emphasis is placed, from the second vowel to the third.

The Brits actually pronounce it according to their modified version of the original element. It is pronounced correctly for their renaming of it. The actual compound element was aluminum as is still used by the American.

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/top ... 4/aluminum

Crude aluminum was isolated (1825) by Hans Christian Ørsted by reducing aluminum chloride with potassium amalgam. Sir Humphry Davy had prepared (1809) an iron-aluminum alloy by electrolyzing fused alumina (aluminum oxide) and had already named the element aluminum; the word later was modified to aluminium in England and some other European countries. A German chemist, Friedrich Wöhler, using potassium metal as the reducing agent, produced aluminum powder (1827) and small globules of the metal (1845) from which he was able to determine some of its properties.

This is the same story of lots of other British words borrowed from other countries and pronounced differently hence all the words with ou in them that Noah Webster got rid of as redundant in American English, like colour/color, armour/armor, and trying to pronounce phonetically things like metre and litre (me tree & lee tree) vrs meter & liter (mee ter & lee ter). But nevermind, as long as the Brits don't come to New York and order a pack of fags from room service they will be okay. Unless of course they are looking for the US version of fags (okay, not really PC but a fact nonetheless.)