Blond/blonde

There's been a bit of discussion here about blonds being men and blondes being women.

I was taught that when it's used as an adjective, as in, "She had blond hair, you don't add the "e" at the end of blond. But when you use it as a noun as in, "She's a blonde," you add the "e."

I've never heard of a gender differentiation. Anyone else have any information on this?

I spell it "blond" for any sense of the word (whether referring to a person or actual hair). I was taught that either spelling variant works whenever and it's up to personal choice.

I spell it "blond" for any sense of the word (whether referring to a person or actual hair). I was taught that either spelling variant works whenever and it's up to personal choice.

I see you don't subscribe to the gender differention.

Where are you from, by the way?

I see you don't subscribe to the gender differention.

I meant gender differentiation. I'm the worst typist and if I don't read a post over it's a total embarrassment!

I always spell it "blond" irrespective of gender.

<<Where are you from, by the way?>>

I'm from California. How about you?

<<I see you don't subscribe to the gender differentiation.>>

Well, it's not really a gender issue so much as I generally prefer simpler spelling variants where an option is present :) I have no problem using other nouns which have overt gender differentiation and as are used commonly in the spoken language (waiter/waitress for instance), but the orthographical differences in "blond/blonde" don't correspond to any spoken-language difference. Thus, since two equal options are present and they sound the same I prefer the shorter one (but I don't have a problem with people who use both).

<<I'm the worst typist and if I don't read a post over it's a total embarrassment!>>

Don't worry! I definitely have had my share of stupid typos so I understand :)

I never noticed the gender distinction! The internet lists both "Blondes have more fun" and "Blonds have more fun." I suspect that the gender distinction in this word a holdover from the Norman French days and is on its way out.

this word (IS) a holdover from the Norman French days ...

No, actually it was borrowed much later than the Norman period: <<http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=blond&searchmode=none>> It's first attested in the late 1400s, but it was reintroduced in its current form in the 1600s. The reason why so many people have maintained the gender distinction in spelling is because the word has been perceived as newer and more French. If it had been part of the main body of Norman vocabulary that entered English, I suspect that it would have fully assimilated into English and that the gender distinction would be unheard of by now.

[Middle English blounde, from Old French blonde, of Germanic origin. See bhel-1 in Indo-European Roots.] (From Dictionary.com

"Old French" usually means "Norman French" when applied to English etymology.

I don't usually worry about gender distinction, since that's not really a feature of English. I spell it either way, depending on how I feel.

Related question: What are your personal preferences for the following pairs? I've indicated mine by number:

dialog/dialogue (2)

catalog/catalogue (1-- note how that inexplicably differs from above)

esthetic/aesthetic (2)

archeology/archaeology (2, I guess I love those AE's!)

estrogen/oestrogen (1)

fetus/foetus (1 -- not such a big fan of the OE, apparently)

<<Related question: What are your personal preferences for the following pairs? I've indicated mine by number:>>

Not to seem dull, but I think I'd prefer the one on the left for each pair. I don't advocate spelling reform, but as a general rule I tend to prefer the most progressive spellings available in a given language.

"Aesthetic" doesn't stand out as odd to me, but "oestrogen" and "foetus" look a bit archaic (or British, depending on context) to me.

<<Not to seem dull, but I think I'd prefer the one on the left for each pair. I don't advocate spelling reform, but as a general rule I tend to prefer the most progressive spellings available in a given language. >>

Ditto for me. I also don't generally advocate spelling reform, at least for words where one dialect/accent's pronunciation is preferred over another's (so, the majority of would-be spelling reforms I don't support). However, the differences Uriel listed don't refer to pronunciation or dialectal differences but orthographical variants which nonetheless are still pronounced the same. Lazar put it well in describing my general preference for the most progressive and accepted spellings (so, they're in a standard dictionary somewhere) available to me. When the option is available to me in Spanish or other languages I've studied, I tend to choose the simpler option. For instance, in Spanish I generally prefer "sicología" as compared to "psicología" since there is no /p/ in the Spanish word, and either form is accepted in written Spanish.

Of course, back to written English, this affects only a very small percentage of words, as the vast majority of words in English orthography are spelled the same anywhere. Anyway, on a subjective level I also think the words on the left look "tidier."

Since mine don't correspond to your preferences, it must not be solely an American tendency to want to "tidy" up words (and I find all these new suggestions for spelling reform a bit silly, personally). I have no idea how my preferences developed, and why I -gue for some words but not others, or keep the AE's but not the OE's -- although I have to admit that foetus and oestrogen are pretty much NEVER used in the US, while aesthetic and archaeology are pretty common.

On the subject of "aesthetic" and its derivatives, I NEVER use "anaesthetic" though -- only "anesthetic". More inconsistencies!

I am a male.....I happen to be a gay male......I am masculine. I have very fair hair so I am blond. If I had been born female and had the same colour hair then I would be a blonde. I would have been happy with that as a female, but as a male I hate being called a blonde because genetically I am simply not that. End of. This is yet another example of the gender confusion that can exist in English but which does not in other Languages as they have clearly defined gender forms.

I wonder how a Frenchman would react if he were to be called a blonde? Or a Frenchwoman if she was called as a blond?