1. Gothic Vampire Queen

    Gothic Vampire Queen New Member

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    Cellphone or cell phone?

    Discussion in 'Word Mechanics' started by Gothic Vampire Queen, Jun 14, 2011.

    Is there a proper way to put that word?

    Do you write it as cellphone or cell phone. Or, from what I've seen, cell-phone?
     
  2. Bubs

    Bubs New Member

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    Originally it was proper to separate the two words. However, I would infer that we are heading towards "cellphone" in the near future (think: classroom, lamppost, railway, etc).
     
  3. Rodney

    Rodney New Member

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    How bout just Cellular device :)
     
  4. Melzaar the Almighty

    Melzaar the Almighty Contributor Contributor

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    Mobile :p

    /useless advice

    Though actually, do Americans call them "Cells" as much as we never ever bother with the word "phone" here in the UK? May as well just drop the word that makes it awkward.
     
  5. Trish

    Trish Damned if I do and damned if I don't Contributor

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    I just call mine my phone :p Who bothers with the "cell" part anymore?
     
  6. cruciFICTION

    cruciFICTION Contributor Contributor

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    I'd say "cellphone".
    But then again, I wouldn't. I'd say mobile.

    In Corvus (by L. Lee Lowe, see Web Fiction Guide), they're referred to as "mobies". C:
     
  7. SteamWolf

    SteamWolf New Member

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    "mobile phone" :p
     
  8. Gigi_GNR

    Gigi_GNR Guys, come on. WAFFLE-O. Contributor

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    I say cell phone or just phone.
     
  9. Protar

    Protar Active Member

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    What is this cell phone you speak of? Surely you mean mobile phone?
     
  10. A phone is a phone is a phone.
    But I would use "cell phone".
     
  11. wolfi

    wolfi New Member

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    To me Cell phone, Cellphone, Mobile, mobile phone and any others is kind of like soda

    its called pop up north, Coke some place i forget soda here, and something to do with warter that i don't rember
    they are all right but its like a dilact
    here if you say mobile phone pepole will think your nuts
    Cell alll the way!
     
  12. JimFlagg

    JimFlagg New Member

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    Cell is short for Cellular so it should be Cell Phone.

    P.S. you forgot Wireless Phone or Wireless.
     
  13. Gothic Vampire Queen

    Gothic Vampire Queen New Member

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    Yes, when ever I was writing that word, I always was confused.

    So, from what I am getting from your feedbacks, this is a to each their own situation?
     
  14. Trish

    Trish Damned if I do and damned if I don't Contributor

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    Don't know where you're from but I'm in the northeast and we call soda, soda. The only place I've ever heard it called "pop" was in the south (specifically when I lived in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Georgia). Not that it has anything to do with anything, just saying. It confused me. Also I have friends in Texas and they call it "pop".

    Oddly enough they all refer to cell phones as "my cell" (at least the people I still talk to from those places).

    I would say, Gothic Vampire Queen, yes.. do as you wish :)
     
  15. wolfi

    wolfi New Member

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    I'm form Teaxs and to us those places are north (while still in the south we call them north sorry)
    as for pop I've never heard pepole here call it that but I've only been near the boradar most od the time so maybe thats it
    Teaxs is big enough to have four deferent Cutlrals
     
  16. JimFlagg

    JimFlagg New Member

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    I have lived in Virginia, Ohio and now Arizona. In Ohio it was pop; in Virginia it was Soda and Arizona it is both. Probably because a large majority of us are implants.

    I remember someone calling it sodi pop once but I can not remember where.

    I remember in Ohio we used all kinds of funny names like crik instead of creek and wersh instead of wash.

    Virginia was worse because of the southern stuff. It is an Ambulance not an Amb'lance and what is, "over yonder a piece". How far is that and where is yonder.

    P.S.

    There are some words that you just have to use like hankerin'. Nothing fits better for when you really both want and need something at the same time.
     
  17. Trish

    Trish Damned if I do and damned if I don't Contributor

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    LOL! Very true.. ALL of it :D

    Its right over thar caint yasee't?
     
  18. SteamWolf

    SteamWolf New Member

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    Yeah... It sure is a big world, America.

    "Cellular phone" is pretty much a North America thing, along with 'soda', 'pop', 'gas' (instead of petroleum) and 'aluminum' instead of 'aluminium'.

    Everywhere else that I know of (at least that I have traveled to) calls it a mobile phone. So really it comes down to where the story is set.

    Here, soda is referred to as 'soft drink' (alcohol being the hard drink). Everyone in Texas that I met either called it soda or pop or both, but I noticed the northern states never seemed to call it pop.

    Every country has nuances so as far as writing goes, it really depends on the setting and target audience.
     
  19. JimFlagg

    JimFlagg New Member

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    Come on, it's a Flashlight not a Torch. A torch is something you light on fire. :p

    Oh ya, it's an Antenna, not an Aerial.

    And there is Bonnet, its a Hood.
     
  20. SteamWolf

    SteamWolf New Member

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    Get away! A flashlight is what Lucas electrics make for English cars. It's an areial because it's up there in the air and I can't reach the bloody thing to fix my TV, and it's a bonnet because it goes over the head (of the engine) and when I pull the hood release, I'm yet to see a masked man holding a knife suddenly run away into the distance!

    *throws a handful of 's's and 'u's at Jim* :p
     
  21. JimFlagg

    JimFlagg New Member

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    ROTFLMAO.

    Oh ya there is Text Speak or Geek Speak.
     
  22. SteamWolf

    SteamWolf New Member

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    Text and geek speak frustrate me endlessly, with the exception of generic forum abbreviations.

    In regards to the original question, I believe 'cell phone' as two words is the most correct, but if it's commonly truncated to one word then it's probably still appropriate particuarly in character dialogue.
     
  23. digitig

    digitig Contributor Contributor

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    Pick a good modern dictionary and stick with it.
     

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