Reference Question #2
Part I: THE QUESTION
A high school junior came with this request.
"You know George Carlin, the comedian. He wrote:
The English word forte, meaning "specialty" or "strong point," is not pronounced "for-tay." Got
that? It's pronounced "fort." The Italian word forte, used in music notation, is pronounced "fortay," and it instructs the musician to play loud: "She plays the skin flute, and her forte (fort) is
playing forte (for-tay)." Look it up. And don't give me any of the whiny s**t, "For-tay is listed
as the second preference." There's a reason it's second: because it's not first! (Carlin, George). 1
My dad says that Carlin is smart and funny, but he has heard many knowledgeable people
pronounce the word " for-tay." He thinks Carlin is wrong.
Also, how can I find out about the history of the word?
Part II: RATIONALE FOR SOURCE SELECTION
We have a bit of a controversy here so I'm going to recommend that we look at a few
different sources. The website onelook.com provides links to many dictionaries. This
way we can see if sources agree or disagree. We'll look at two excellent dictionaries
linked from this site -- American Heritage Dictionary and Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Both of these dictionaries provide audio pronunciations. This is an advantage that some
online dictionaries have over printed ones. For most people it's easier to hear the word
and understand it than to figure out the printed pronunciation guides. These dictionaries
provide etymologies, too. They tell about the history of a word -- other languages from
which it came, how it was used, various meanings that it had.
After you've researched from these two dictionaries, you may look at others, too.
Part III: STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
1. Go to a computer with online capability.
2. Launch a web browser (Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer).
3. Type: http://www.onelook.com/in the menu bar.
4. Type: "forte" in the "Word or Pattern" box located in the center of the welcome
screen at OneLook.
5. Move the pointer to the "Search" button and click on it (or press Return).
6. Notice that we got 19 hits -- mostly from various dictionaries. So you'll be able to
do a lot of comparison if you want.
7. Notice that the second choice links to the Merriam-Webster Collegiate
Dictionary, and the fifth choice links to the American Heritage Dictionary.
8. Also, do you see the "Quick definitions" along right hand side of the screen? It
reads:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
noun: the stronger part of a sword blade between the hilt and the foible
noun: (music) with great loudness
noun: an asset of special worth or utility (Example: "Cooking is his forte")
adjective: used chiefly as a direction or description in music (Example: "The forte
passages in the composition")
adverb: used as a direction in music; to be played relatively loudly
f. name: A surname (common: 1 in 25000 families; popularity rank in the U.S.: #2864)
9. Let's go to Merriam-Webster first. Click on the link "forte."
10. Notice that we've left the OneLook site and arrived at Merriam-Webster's site.
However, we don't need to do a new search at Merriam-Webster -- "forte" is
already selected.
11. Notice, too, that Merriam-Webster provides six entries for "forte." The first is
already displayed, and it contains the meaning -- "one's strong point" -- that
you've inquired about.
12. If you want to know the other uses of the word, just click on them in the entry
box. For example, if you click on the second meaning as an adverb or adjective,
move your pointer there and click.
13. To begin to answer your question about pronunciation, notice that red icons
(symbols) that resemble audio speakers located just below the box with 6 entries
found.
14. Two red speakers are shown. That means there are two acceptable
pronunciations. Let's click on the first speaker and hear what it says.
15. Notice that this pronunciation seems to confirm Carlin's assertion. It is the onesyllable "fort," not the two-syllable "for-tA." Click on the second speaker to hear
it.
16. Notice this is the two-syllable "for-tA" pronunciation.
17. Do you see the written pronunciation guide located just below the speaker icons?
It is good to be familiar with these. Printed dictionaries commonly use them
although not all dictionaries used the same symbols. In the print versions, you'll
usually find the pronunciation guides in the preface.
18. To know how to use the pronunciation guide to Merriam-Webster scroll to the
bottom of the screen.
19. Do you see the "Pronunciation Symbols?"
20. While we're at this site, let's see what it says about the etymology. It says that
"forte" came from the French "fort" which is an adjective for "strong."
21. Now let's look at the definition. Surprise! Notice that it states, "there is no
entirely satisfactory pronunciation." According to this passage, the usage writers
for Merriam-Webster recommend the one-syllable pronunciation because they
believe that it is closer to the French le fort from which it is derived. Further
down, however, it states that the two-syllable pronunciation is probably most
common in American English. It also says "someone … will dislike whichever
variant you choose." That's comforting. No wonder Carlin jokes about it.
22. Let's see if American Heritage Dictionary confirms Merriam-Webster. Click on
the back arrow in the upper left hand corner of the screen. Notice that we've
arrived back at the OneLook site with all the hits from our "forte" search still
displayed.
23. Let's click on the fifth choice -- the one for American Heritage.
24. Surprise! Surprise! Notice that the definition selected at this site is one of the
musical meanings of the word -- "in a loud, forceful manner."
25. Do you see the speaker icon and the syllabication guide located near the top of the
screen?
26. Notice that the syllabication guide shows two syllables.
27. Notice, too, that the musical term "forte" derives from the Italian for "strong" and
from the Latin "fortis." Do you see this beside the etymology listing near the
bottom of the entry?
28. This site also provides audio. Let's press on the icon to hear the pronunciation.
29. Notice that it's the two-syllable pronunciation. This source provides only one
pronunciation for "forte" when used as a musical term. This confirms part of
Carlin's statement.
30. Anyhow we want to know the pronunciation for the meaning "what someone
excels at" not the musical term. And the OneLook site did not select the meaning
you're looking for from the American Heritage site. However, we can easily find
what we need.
31. Do you see the word "Dictionary" located just below the Bartleby.com logo? Do
you see the box located just to the right of it?
32. Type "forte" in that box, and click on the word "Go" (or press Return).
33. Notice that we have several hits. Let's read the brief definitions provided to select
the correct link.
34. The first two definitions pertain to music. Notice that the third link down derives
from the French for "strong." That's similar to Merriam-Webster's etymology.
Let's try that link.
35. This is it -- "Something in which a person excels."
36. Notice the syllabication and pronunciation guides near the top of the entry. Guess
what? This site lists the two-syllable pronunciation first. Let's click on the
speakers to get the audio.
37. Notice that the etymology lists both the French fort and the Latin fortis.
38. Click on the hyper-linked "fort" to the right side of the Etymology entry.
39. Notice it gives us a little more information about the derivation. It reads:
"Middle English, strength, stronghold, from Old French, strong, strength, from
Latin fortis. See bhergh-2 in Appendix I."
40. Notice bhergh-2 is also hyper-linked. If we click on it, we get the Indo-European
Roots. (Most European languages, including English, belong to the family of
Indo-European languages.) These show derivations referring to hills and hill-forts.
41. Let's return to the page with our primary definition. Press the back arrow located
in the upper left-hand corner of the screen twice.
42. Notice that below Etymology, "Synonyms" are listed. With such a controversy
about the pronunciation of this word, maybe they will come in handy!
43. Look at this Usage Note located below the Synonyms. It says
The word forte, coming from French fort, should properly be pronounced with one syllable, like
the English word fort. Common usage, however, prefers the two-syllable pronunciation, (fôrt),
which has been influenced possibly by the music term forte borrowed from Italian. In a recent
survey a strong majority of the Usage Panel, 74 percent, preferred the two-syllable pronunciation.
The result is a delicate situation; speakers who are aware of the origin of the word may wish to
continue to pronounce it as one syllable but at an increasing risk of puzzling their listeners.
44. We have uncovered a word about which even experts disagree! You may
continue your search using OneLook. Many other sources are available. Let me
know if I can be of further assistance.
Part IV: ANSWERS
As noted in its definition, Merriam-Webster prefers the one-syllable pronunciation.
American Heritage concedes that "forte" "should properly be pronounced with onesyllable." However, 74% of the Usage Panel at American Heritage, comprised of many
famous authors, journalists, academicians and broadcasters, prefer the two-syllable
pronunciation. Both pronunciations are accepted and correct. I'd love to see George
Carlin debate this with the scholars!
After much searching, I found no information at either the Merriam-Webster or the
American Heritage website to determine if listing a pronunciation first (as Carlin states)
means that it is preferred. I did locate a printed copy of the Third Edition of the
American Heritage College Dictionary 6 that stated: "When more than one pronunciation
is given, the first is assumed to be the most common." The online dictionary used at the
American Heritage site is the Fourth Edition of the American Heritage Dictionary of the
English Language.4 Do both of these American Heritage dictionaries follow the same
rules when listing pronunciations? Probably, but I don't know for sure. It is interesting
to note that the Third Edition lists the most common pronunciation first -- not necessarily
the preferred. As of this writing, I was unable to locate a print version of MerriamWebster's Collegiate Dictionary. Thus, I do not know if the order of listing indicates a
preference. (Of course, their preference is indicated in the definition.)
This discussion brings to mind the question posed by Katz: Should dictionaries be
prescriptive -- inform readers about good speech and writing; or descriptive -- inform
readers about how the language is commonly used without any judgment about its
acceptability.5 In his book, Katz stated that Merriam-Webster tends to be descriptive and
American Heritage prescriptive. In this instance, the opposite appears to be more
accurate. American Heritage placed the two-syllable pronunciation first because it is
more common even though the authors acknowledge the one-syllable as proper.
Conversely, the Merriam-Webster authors indicate their preference for the one-syllable
pronunciation because they believe it to be closer to its historical derivation.
According to American Heritage, the word "forte" derives from "Middle English,
strength, stronghold, (and) from Old French, strong, strength, from Latin fortis. Other
English words connoting strength, such as, "force," "fortitude," "comfort," "effort,"
"enforce," "fortify," "fort," and "fortress" all derive from these roots.
Part V: CITATIONS
1. Carlin, George. Brain Droppings. New York: Hyperion, 1997. p. 115.
2. "forte." Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition. Springfield, Mass.:
Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 2002. Feb. 8, 2003 <http://www.m-w.com/>.
3. "forte." OneLook Dictionary Search. Feb. 8, 2003 <http://www.onelook.com/>.
4. "forte.” The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th ed. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin, 2000. Feb. 8, 2003. <http://www.bartleby.com/61/ >
5. Katz, William A. Introduction to Reference Work, Volume I. New York: The
McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2002. p. 385-6.
6. The American Heritage College Dictionary, Third Edition. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin, 2000. p. xxxii.