while or whilst

[keenanbr]

An American work colleague is fascinated by the use of whilst, amongst etc. Is there any reason for using whilst instead of while. I know I use different forms in different situations but I'm not sure why.

 

[AnotherHiggins]

From

http://www.worldwidewords.org

:

[green][Q][/green] From Gary Wade: “As an American who has spent some bit of time with British English, I have always wondered about the difference between while and whilst. Is there a relationship to formal and informal tenses left over from Old English? I also think of amid and amidst.”

[green][A][/green] You’re close to the target with your second example. Another pair of a similar kind is among and amongst (a third pair, again and against, has a similar origin but the sense of the words has since diverged).

In both cases, the form ending in -st actually contains the -s of the genitive ending (which we still have today, though usually written as ’s, of course). In Middle English, this was often added to words used as adverbs (as while became whiles, which often turned up in the compound adverbs somewhiles and otherwhiles). What seems to have happened is that a -t was later added in the south of England through confusion with the superlative ending -st (as in gentlest).

Both while and whilst are ancient, though while is older. There’s no difference in meaning between them. For reasons that aren’t clear, whilst has survived in British English but has died out in the US. However, in Britain it is considered to be a more formal and literary word than its counterpart. I have a small weakness for it, for which I’ve been gently teased in the past.

The "again and against" thing surprised me.

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[ESquared]

Many older books have people saying things like "I didn't mean it again you," clearly as the meaning of against.

It is also written as slang agin'. "Stop fightin' agin' me!

 

[SkipVought]

You're again me on, no yolk!

Skip,

_{When a diminutive clarvoyant had disappeared from detention, headlines read...
Small Medium at Large}

 

[ESquared]

Just in case anyone is confused, just like the original "against," "again" and "agin" have the stress on the second syllable and the g is hard.

 

[dgillz]

I have personally never used the word "whilst", nor heard anyone else use it, except on the 'net here with my UK and Aussie colleagues.

Doesn't mean it is good or bad, just not common in the USA.

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[Michael52x]

Whilst I prepared the bath, I knew it would take a while to fill"
"I whiled the day away whilst I thought of being amongst the whiporwills"
I have been amid some, while amidst others.

"Impatience will reward you with dissatisfaction" RMS Cosmics'97

 

[ESquared]

I see the distinction you're making Michael. But isn't that distinction artificial? They're synonyms like dilation/dilatation, preventive/preventative, and so on...