Re: How did the Spelling Police miss this one?

[Herman Oosthuysen <Herman@WirelessNetworksInc.com>]

This is getting funnier by the day!

Even the word 'normal' is a religious term.  It literally means to be a 
good Christian - a Gentleman.  Christian seminaries are 'Normal Schools' 
and have 'Normal Classes'.  Yes, there was a time when I was forced to 
attend 'Normal Class' - it didn't help - I became a heathen...

Maybe we should switch to Zen Buddist terminology instead, it is less 
violent.

For what it is worth, I grew up with the software term 'normalize'. 
'Canonize' seems a bit too strong for my tase.


viro@parcelfarce.linux.theplanet.co.uk wrote:
> On Thu, Apr 24, 2003 at 10:46:06AM -0400, Timothy Miller wrote:
>  
> 
>>On the other hand, "canonicalize", while strange and new, unambiguously 
>>means (b).
>>
>>Is there an already-existing word which means (b)?
> 
> 
> % webster normalize
> nor-mal-ize \'no[0xC7]r-me-,l[0xF5]^-z\ vt  -ized; -iz-ing
> (1865)
> 1: to make conform to or reduce to a norm or standard
> 2: to make normal (as by a transformation of variables)
> 3: to bring or restore (as relations between countries) to a normal
>      condition
> -- nor-mal-iz-able \-,l[0xF5]^--ze-bel\ adj 
> -- nor-mal-iza-tion \,no[0xC7]r-me-le-'za^--shen\ n 
> -