Kenneth J. Nowicki on fri 15 jan 99
Hello fellow Clayarters:
You know, for the last 20 years or so that I've been involved with ceramics,
I've heard on occasion folks referring to the "kiln" as a "kil". Was curious
where this word "kil" came from and if it in fact it the correct word to
describe what I have always thought was a "kiln"? Some of these people
calling it a "kil" were ceramics folks and some were just people outside our
field... "regular" folks... (i.e. - "My aunt has a kil in her garage and she
paints pottery too")
Was just curious what all of you thought about it?
I suppose either spelling may be techincally correct. In Websters New World
dictionary, under the word "kiln" it says:
kiln (kil, kiln) n. [ME. kylne < OE. cylne < L. culina, cookstove,
kitchen (cf. CULINARY] a furnace or oven for drying, burning, or baking
something, as bricks, grain, or pottery ----vt. to dry, burn, or bake in a
kiln.
Ken Nowicki
RakuArtist@aol.com
"Here in Encino, CA under sunny clear skieand mild temperatures in the 70s
today"
the Gallaghers on sat 16 jan 99
When I took my first ceramics class in So. Calif. in 1970, I was told to
pronounce it "KIL".
Since moving to the northwest I've heard more folks here adding the "N".
So....what's the diff? Is it just a matter of preference or geographics?
I'm curious too.
Michelle
-----Original Message-----
From: Kenneth J. Nowicki
To: CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU
Date: Friday, January 15, 1999 10:30 AM
Subject: "Age old" question - Is it "Kil" or "Kiln"???
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Hello fellow Clayarters:
>
>You know, for the last 20 years or so that I've been involved with
ceramics,
>I've heard on occasion folks referring to the "kiln" as a "kil". Was
curious
>where this word "kil" came from and if it in fact it the correct word to
>describe what I have always thought was a "kiln"? Some of these people
>calling it a "kil" were ceramics folks and some were just people outside
our
>field... "regular" folks... (i.e. - "My aunt has a kil in her garage and
she
>paints pottery too")
>
>Was just curious what all of you thought about it?
>
>I suppose either spelling may be techincally correct. In Websters New World
>dictionary, under the word "kiln" it says:
>
>kiln (kil, kiln) n. [ME. kylne < OE. cylne < L. culina,
cookstove,
>kitchen (cf. CULINARY] a furnace or oven for drying, burning, or baking
>something, as bricks, grain, or pottery ----vt. to dry, burn, or bake in a
>kiln.
>
>Ken Nowicki
>RakuArtist@aol.com
>
>"Here in Encino, CA under sunny clear skieand mild temperatures in the 70s
>today"
Vince Pitelka on sat 16 jan 99
>You know, for the last 20 years or so that I've been involved with ceramics,
>I've heard on occasion folks referring to the "kiln" as a "kil". Was curious
>where this word "kil" came from and if it in fact it the correct word to
>describe what I have always thought was a "kiln"? Some of these people
>calling it a "kil" were ceramics folks and some were just people outside our
>field... "regular" folks... (i.e. - "My aunt has a kil in her garage and she
>paints pottery too")
As is corroborated by Webster, both pronounciations are right. It seems
that "Kil" is slowly being supplanted by "kiln," which is just fine by me.
Why not work to reduce some of the unnecessary nad illogical quirks of the
English language?
- Vince
Vince Pitelka - vpitelka@DeKalb.net
Home 615/597-5376, work 615/597-6801, fax 615/597-6803
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
Jan Parzybok on sun 17 jan 99
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Hello fellow Clayarters:
>
>You know, for the last 20 years or so that I've been involved with ceramics,
>I've heard on occasion folks referring to the "kiln" as a "kil". Was curious
>where this word "kil" came from and if it in fact it the correct word to
>describe what I have always thought was a "kiln"? Some of these people
>calling it a "kil" were ceramics folks and some were just people outside our
>field... "regular" folks... (i.e. - "My aunt has a kil in her garage and she
>paints pottery too")
>
>Was just curious what all of you thought about it?
>
>I suppose either spelling may be techincally correct. In Websters New World
>dictionary, under the word "kiln" it says:
>
>kiln (kil, kiln) n. [ME. kylne < OE. cylne < L. culina, cookstove,
>kitchen (cf. CULINARY] a furnace or oven for drying, burning, or baking
>something, as bricks, grain, or pottery ----vt. to dry, burn, or bake in a
>kiln.
>
>Ken Nowicki
>RakuArtist@aol.com
>
>"Here in Encino, CA under sunny clear skieand mild temperatures in the 70s
>today"
Great Question Ken:
I've always understood that if one has clay up to one's elbows and in one's
hair and narry a clue what one is doing, the pronunciation is "kiln".
Later in life, when one has clay only up to one's wrists, one is allowed
to say the word "kil", though reverently.
When one has undercut one's 350,000th pot and has only a little wet clay
under one's fingernails and a speck or two on one's apron, the
pronunciation is "kilm". This must be spoken totally without reverence.
When one finally reaches clay nirvana, throws pots and builds sculptures
without looking, gives advice, philosophises about clay, and fires sans
cones, the pronunciation is "kilmb."
No really, that's how I understand it. Jan, from the Western Slope of Colorado
Linda Blossom on sun 17 jan 99
In the midwest, southern Illinois to be exact, I was told it was kiln. That
was in the early 50's and it was the hobby ceramic teacher who had a class
in her basement. When I got to the northeast, upstate New York, everyone
said kil, so not wanting to be like the mainstream, I have stubbornly held
onto my n. Of course the people here are not hobbyists in their basements -
they are potters using clay not slip. Maybe it is geographical, but it may
in part be the area of ceramics too.
Linda Blossom
2366 Slaterville Rd
Ithaca, NY 14850
607-539-7912
blossom@twcny.rr.com
www.artscape.com
Gayle Bair on mon 18 jan 99
Jan,
One last question. When one also throws and fires and does
advertising sans clothing ( ala Soldner) what is it called then
Still laughing Gayleb!
When one finally reaches clay nirvana, throws pots and builds sculptures
without looking, gives advice, philosophises about clay, and fires sans
cones, the pronunciation is "kilmb."
No really, that's how I understand it. Jan, from the Western Slope of Colorado
Bill Aycock on tue 19 jan 99
Potters should know about teapots, and this question falls into the
category of things that should be known as:
"A TEMPEST IN A TEAPOT !!"
The loss of the sound of the "n" is a natural result of the way the sound
is made by the human mouth. It is one of the weakest sounds in common use.
The nasal sound is lost at any distance. Try this- stand at a distance of
20 feet and have a friend say "kiln", WITH the "n" sound. if there is any
ambient noise at all, I will bet that the"n" part of the word is lost, or
nearly lost. It's natural to loose the part of word that is not heard
well anyway.
The word is very old, and, like a lot of old words, has kept its spelling,
and developed various ways of pronunciation. My main word reference, the
"Websters International Dictionary, Second edition, unabridged" (note- the
third edition is pretty poor), gives both ways of saying the good old word,
and attributes the origin to Middle English, derived from AngloSaxon, with
Latin roots. (That's a weird route)
I have known a number of older potters from the older British family
pottery tradition that said "kil", but wrote "kiln'.
If you have any Scot friends- ask them how to pronounce "Laphrohaig"- or,
get a Brit to say "Herefordshire" or (my favorite) "Worchestershire"- the
different ways of saying "kiln" pale in comparison to these. ( The Scot
mouthful is the name of one of the better single-malt whiskeys)
Bill- on Persimmon Hill- squishing across the yard after having 5 inches
of rain in a day.
(I LOVE these serious subjects!)
-
Bill Aycock --- Persimmon Hill
Woodville, Alabama, US 35776
(in the N.E. corner of the State)
W4BSG -- Grid EM64vr
baycock@HiWAAY.net
Richard Gralnik on thu 21 jan 99
Bill,
You can tell people the "n" in kiln is silent like the "n" in autumn!!
My favorite is Leicestershire. You lose an entire syllable on this one
too but no one named a sauce after it.
And it's La-froyg (the 22 year old variety being especially nice. But
that's true of the 22 year old variety of a lot of things ;-)
Richard
sort-of-Yorkshire expatriot
At 12:02 AM 1/19/99 EST, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Potters should know about teapots, and this question falls into the
>category of things that should be known as:
>
>"A TEMPEST IN A TEAPOT !!"
>
>The loss of the sound of the "n" is a natural result of the way the sound
>is made by the human mouth. It is one of the weakest sounds in common use.
>The nasal sound is lost at any distance. Try this- stand at a distance of
>20 feet and have a friend say "kiln", WITH the "n" sound. if there is any
>ambient noise at all, I will bet that the"n" part of the word is lost, or
>nearly lost. It's natural to loose the part of word that is not heard
>well anyway.
>
>The word is very old, and, like a lot of old words, has kept its spelling,
>and developed various ways of pronunciation. My main word reference, the
>"Websters International Dictionary, Second edition, unabridged" (note- the
>third edition is pretty poor), gives both ways of saying the good old word,
>and attributes the origin to Middle English, derived from AngloSaxon, with
>Latin roots. (That's a weird route)
>
>I have known a number of older potters from the older British family
>pottery tradition that said "kil", but wrote "kiln'.
>
>If you have any Scot friends- ask them how to pronounce "Laphrohaig"- or,
>get a Brit to say "Herefordshire" or (my favorite) "Worchestershire"- the
>different ways of saying "kiln" pale in comparison to these. ( The Scot
>mouthful is the name of one of the better single-malt whiskeys)
>
>Bill- on Persimmon Hill- squishing across the yard after having 5 inches
>of rain in a day.
>(I LOVE these serious subjects!)
>-
>Bill Aycock --- Persimmon Hill
> Woodville, Alabama, US 35776
> (in the N.E. corner of the State)
> W4BSG -- Grid EM64vr
> baycock@HiWAAY.net
>
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