While and whilst

Recovered from Google’s cache.
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06-17-2006, 3:54 AM

aruna

While and whilst
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Any difference?
I don't use "whilst", ever. I don't like it - it sounds pompous, old fashioned, but I do see it used quite frequently in modern novels and other writing.

Are there any rules?
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06-17-2006, 4:14 AM

jen.nifer

Hey Aruna,

Did you see this one:
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34967

;-)

I use whilst by habit sometimes, but I think while is the more modern way... if one wants to get with the times. ;-)
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06-17-2006, 5:16 AM

Jamesaritchie

"Whilst" is actually a very old-fashiond word, long since gone out of style. It's mostly used in historical novels now.
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06-17-2006, 6:02 AM

aruna

I can't believe I posted exactly the same topic on exactly the same day! (well, not the same day exactly. But to me it looked like it) I hadn't checked the subjecy list before, honest! Pure telepathy.
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06-17-2006, 6:04 AM

aruna

I recently read a novel (Anita and me, by Meera Syal) which used whilst all the time. I see it very frequently here in the UK. I never use it myself.
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06-17-2006, 8:34 AM

Jo~

I still catch myself using whilst, amongst other things.
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06-17-2006, 9:15 PM

Scribhneoir

I think "whilst" is a purely British usage. I've never heard an American use it and I'm only familiar with it through British books and movies.
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06-18-2006, 9:40 PM

PVish

See http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-whi2.htm
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06-18-2006, 10:30 PM

Medievalist

Whilst survives in British English largely as a dialect word; it's common in the North, and it was favored in Middle Scots over while/whiles.
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06-18-2006, 11:11 PM

Jamesaritchie

Scribhneoir said:

I think "whilst" is a purely British usage. I've never heard an American use it and I'm only familiar with it through British books and movies.

Click to expand...

Whilst was once very common in America, and is still pretty common in parts of the rural south, and in the Appalachians.
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06-19-2006, 3:06 AM

Mike Coombes

Whilst while is the more popular usage, I use it occasionally.