Nouns

“Ritual” vs. “Superstition”

Nouns, Versus

Some American English speakers use these words interchangeably.

Problem:
These two nouns are not synonyms.

Explanation:
Both of these nouns are often applied to habitual behaviors seen in athletes.

While watching a televised event from the 2008 Olympics, I heard the TV commentator call one of the athletes’ behaviors a “superstition”, but I saw the behavior as a “ritual” instead.

The definition of “ritual” as it applies to habitual behavior is a pattern of behavior that regularly occurs in a defined manner.

The definition of “superstition” as it applies to habitual behavior is an act based on a belief not based on knowledge or reason.

So, although superstitious behavior can be ritualistic, not all ritualistic behavior is superstitious.

A ritual for a tennis player could be focusing on the racket strings between points; a superstition for a tennis player could be always entering a tennis court from the north side.

In other words, a ritual can help an athlete to stay centered, whereas a superstition can unnerve an athlete when the athlete cannot perform the habitual behavior associated with the superstition.

Solution:
Use “superstition” for habitual behavior that is not based on knowledge or reason. Use “ritual” otherwise.

“Palate” vs. “Palette” vs. “Pallet”

Common English Blunders, Nouns, Versus

I sometimes see these words used interchangeably.

Problem:
These three nouns are not synonyms.

Explanation:
A “palate” — spelled P-A-L-A-T-E — is, when it comes to anatomy, the roof of the mouth. It is also the sense of taste, as in “a meal to stimulate the palate”. This noun dates back to the Latin word “palatum”, which also means the roof of the mouth.

The primary definition of the noun “palette” — spelled P-A-L-E-T-T-E — is an oblong, thin tablet that holds small quantities of paints and that has a thumb hole at one end. This noun comes from French but is derived from the Italian word “paletta” — the diminutive form of “pala”, the Italian word for shovel.

A “pallet” — spelled P-A-L-L-E-T — originally meant a bed of straw but now usually means a wooden frame onto which goods are loaded, as in “The roofing materials were delivered on pallets.” This noun is derived from “paille”, the Old French word for straw.

Solution:
Use P-A-L-A-T-E when referring to the roof of the mouth. Use P-A-L-E-T-T-E when referring to an artist’s tool. Use P-A-L-L-E-T when referring to platform for loading and unloading goods.

“Polka Dot” vs. “Polka-dot” vs. “Polkadot”

Adjectives, Devolution toward Simpler, Nouns, Versus

I wondered which spelling was correct after seeing each in writing.

Problem:
One of the three spellings is incorrect.

Explanation:
The compound noun “polka dot” — with a space in the middle — is an Americanism that dates back to the 1880s.

The word “polka-dot” — with a hyphen in the middle — is the adjectival form of this noun.

The word “polkadot” — with neither a hyphen nor a space in the middle — is not recognized in most dictionaries, although a search for this form (with the quotation marks) in Google returned about 2,090,000 matches.

In contrast, a search in Google for “polka dot” — with a space in the middle — returned about 9,300,000 matches.

I believe that the elimination of the space in more than two million Web instances is consistent with my “Devolution toward Simpler” linguistic hypothesis. It is simpler to omit the space than to include it.

Solution:
Use “polka dot” — with a space — as a noun. Use “polka-dot” — with a hyphen — as an adjective. Never use the no-space, no-hyphen form, which is a misspelling of the other two forms.