MATE Desktop

[Liam Proven]

On 22 July 2012 22:29, NoOp <glgxg at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> On 07/22/2012 06:41 AM, Liam Proven wrote:
>> On 22 July 2012 08:00, Mika Suomalainen <mika.henrik.mainio at hotmail.com> wrote:
> ...
>>> I wonder where did this info come from. I cannot see MATE with
>>> accented e anywhere in http://mate-desktop.org/ .
>>
>> More reading is needed.
>
> Indeed.
>
>>
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate_(beverage)
>>
>> Quote:
>> «
>> Mate (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈmate], Portuguese pronunciation:
>> ['matʃi]; sometimes also spelled Maté)
>
> And keep in mind that you are insisting that the spelling is "Maté"...
>
>>
>>> Also if it comes from tea instead of friend, how do you explain text
>>> of photo at http://wiki.mate-desktop.org/ .
>>
>> [Sigh]
>>
>> Again, do a bit more reading.
>
> [Sigh] Yes please do.
>
>> From http://mate-desktop.org/about/
>>
>> «
>> Where does the name come from?
>>
>> The name “MATE” comes from yerba maté, a species of holly native to
>> subtropical South America. Its leaves contain caffeine and are used to
>> make infusions and a beverage called mate.
>
> <http://mate-desktop.org/about/#comment-1468>
> "Germán on July 17, 2012 at 9:29 am said
> It is “mate” without accent and not “maté” with accent, as you wrote in
> the wikipedia link. I know because I drink mate every day of my life"
> (Germán is from Argentina)
>
>> »
>>
>> As for why they use MATE instead of MATÉ, this might be the reason:
>>
>> http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071029042936AARnbuS
>>
>> Also see:
>> http://french.about.com/library/writing/bl-capitalization3.htm
>
> How about this instead (from the wikipedia link you so kindly provided
> yet perhaps didn't bother to read):
>
> "Name
>
> Both the spellings "mate" and "maté" are used in English.[3][4][5] The
> acute accent on the final letter is likely added as a hyperforeignism,
> and serves to indicate that the word and its pronunciation are distinct
> from the common English word "mate". But, the Yerba Mate Association of
> the Americas states that it is always incorrect to accent the second
> syllable, since this creates confusion with an unrelated Spanish word
> for killing.[6] ("maté" literally means "I killed" in Spanish)."
> ...
>
>>
>> The lead developer on the Maté desktop is Argentinian & thus a native
>> hispanophone.
>
> Perhaps he uses:
> <http://comex.lasmarias.com.ar/eng/detalle.php?a=yerba-mate-tea&t=3&d=1>

In Spanish, the spelling is not confusing; there, the English
pronunciation is the odd foreign word. Also, in South America, the
default association would be the tea.

This is not true in the English-speaking world, and as "mate" is an
ordinary English word, there is no obvious way to make it clear that
it's not "mate" as in "matey" /except/ to spell it out clearly as
"Maté".

AFAIK "MATE" doesn't stand for anything - it's not a backronym - and
he's explicitly said it's named after the tea, so I think Maté is the
least-confusing, most-helpful spelling.

-- 
Liam Proven • Profile: http://lproven.livejournal.com/profile
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