| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| alternate 2, alternative (adjs., nn.) |
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| Today’s Standard American English pronounces the adjective and noun alternate, AWL-tuhr-nit. The adjective means “every other (one),” as in This summer our foursome played golf on alternate Mondays. The noun means “a substitute or replacement,” as in She was appointed an alternate, not a full delegate. The adjective alternative (pronounced awl-TUHR-nuh-tiv) means “substitute,” or “another”: They gave us an alternative proposal. Recently, however, alternate seems more and more to be replacing alternative in that sense: They sent us an alternate [alternative] selection. Both are Standard. Alternative is also Standard meaning “nontraditional or unconventional”: He goes to an alternative school. She listens to alternative music. The adverbs alternately and alternatively echo similar patterns of meanings and pronunciations. The noun alternative is pronounced like the adjective, of which it is a functional shift. | 1 |
| Etymologically, alternatives come only in twos, but today alternatives may occur in any numbers, and Standard English readily accepts such sentences as She offered me several alternatives, not one of them really pleasant. Conservatives prefer (and some Edited English still requires) options when there are more than two choices: There were originally two alternatives, but this latest offer now gives us three options. See also CHOICE; OPTION. | 2 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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