Re: "Four days" promise for Debian Mentees
Jeremiah Foster wrote:
> Justin B Rye wrote:
>> I've got to admit I'm not keen on the word "mentee" either; if all
>> Debian mailinglist posts went through debian-l10n-english for usage
>> checking I'd have suggested finding a better word.
>
> It is proper English.
It's a word real English-speakers have been known to use, and is
therefore in (some) dictionaries, yes; but that doesn't necessarily
make it the best word for the job. The people waiting impatiently
for replies on debian-mentors need not have received, or even
requested, any mentoring.
Meanwhile, other real English-speakers have been known to prefer
"mentoree". After all, "mentor/mentee" is formed on the analogy of
word pairs like "abductor/abductee", where the -or is a Latin
agentive ending and the -ee is inspired by French -é; but "mentor"
never was "ment+or" in Latin - it came from a Greek name.
>> Those plaintive
>> please-upload-my-package posts on debian-mentors are looking for a
>> (one-time) sponsor, not a mentor, so maybe it would be better to
>> call them "prospective sponsorees"?
(Notice that's not "sponsee"!)
> Fair enough, but that seems equally awkward.
Either way, my recommended solution was to leave "mentees" in the
text. My backup plan would be to avoid the issue:
"Four days" promise for Debian-Mentors
--
JBR noose (nōōs); n; a loop with running knot which ties the firmer
the closer it is drawn; a snare or bond generally, esp. hanging
or marriage. Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary
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