Know your English

``WEREN'T YOU supposed to come over and have dinner with me yesterday?''

``That's right. But there was a problem. You see...''

``....what was the problem?''

``My cousin rang me up around 6:00 and asked me to come over. You see his landlord's son is returning from the U.S. So the landlord wants my cousin to vacate the flat by the end of the month. My cousin and I were out all evening trying to find a suitable accommodation.''

``Did you find one?''

``No. It's so hard to find an accommodation these days.''

``You cannot say `an accommodation'. In British English the word `accommodation' is an uncountable noun. So you shouldn't use `an' before it.''

``Really? I didn't know that! How about this sentence? There is a shortage of cheap accommodation in our city.''

``Sounds pretty good. Some of the delegates wanted to know if we could take care of their accommodation.''

``The university refused to provide the teachers free accommodation.''

``Why should the university provide free accommodation?''

``Good question. Many teachers....''

``...by the way, this cousin of yours. What does he do?''

``He's an academician.''

``He's an academician? Which academy does he belong to?''

``Academy? What are you talking about?''

``Well you said that he was an academician. Which academy does he...''

``...he doesn't belong to any academy. What I meant to say was that he is a teacher. He teaches at the university.''

``A teacher, eh? In that case, the word you are looking for is `academic'.''

``What is the difference between an 'academic' and `academician'?''

``Well, strictly speaking, an `academic' is a person who teaches or does research at the university.''

``I see. How about this example? When I grow up I certainly don't want to be an academic.''

``The example is OK. But the word `academic' has the stress on the third syllable `de'.''

``But a lot of people I know....''

``...tend to put the stress on the second syllable. But the stress is on the third. The `a' in the first syllable is like the `a' in `cat', `bat', and `sat', while the `a' in the second syllable is pronounced like the `a' in `China'. And ....''

``....I think I can guess the rest. The `e' probably sounds like the `e' in `set', `pet', and `get'. The final `i' must be like the `i' in 'sit', `bit', and `hit'.''

``Exactly! Radhakrishnan was an academic before he became the President of India.''

``Everyone knows that. That's why we celebrate Teacher's Day.''

``Exactly!''

``My cousin is the only person in the family who wanted to be an academic. Now tell me, what is the meaning of the word `academician'?''

``First of all, the word has the stress on the fourth syllable `mi'. Usually when you refer to someone as being an `academician', it implies that he/she is a member of an academy or a society....''

``...any type of academy?''

``An academician is usually a member of an academy that is concerned with the arts or sciences. The Royal Academy of Arts, for instance, or the Russian Academy of Sciences.''

``I think I understand the difference now. A professor is an academic. And when that professor becomes a member of an academy which is devoted to either the sciences or the arts, then he becomes an `academician'. Am I right?''

``Absolutely! There is a tendency these days, however, to use the words `academician' and `academic' synonymously. Some people object to it. Most dictionaries have only one definition for the word `academician' - member of a society or academy.''

``I think I understand the difference now.''

``This cousin of yours. What does he teach?''

``Computer Science. And you know something, he is quite a popular teacher.''

``Did he show you the new computer lab?''

``He took me to the lab last week. He has a free access to it, you know.''

``Free access and not `a free access'.''

``What?''

``He has free access to the lab. You cannot say `a free access'.''

``I see. I would like to have access to the building next door. Say after 10:00 in the night!''

``That's a bank! No one is going to grant you access to it at 10:00 in the evening!''

``That's true!''

``But they may be willing to provide free accommodation! Your cousin....''

``....the academic in my family doesn't need accommodation. Today he received a letter from the university saying that he has been allotted one of their quarters.''

``All's well that ends well!''

``Marriages are made in heaven. But so are thunder and lightning!'' - Anonymous

S. UPENDRAN

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