OK this is an odd one but I want to title this snap "Amongst the Clouds" or "Among the Clouds" - Which one would be correct - Seem to be having a hard time choosing as both would seem correct - Rather embarrassing especially as I am British!
Thanks in advance for any info...
Oh here is the pic..
The word 'among' came from Old English phrase 'on gemang'. This 'gemang 'was a noun form of 'gemongen' (mingle, gather, crowd, assemble). 'On gemange' was used in the full form before 1000, but it was gradually degraded into 'among' during Late Old English period (1000-1300). In those days 'among' was often used in a genitive form 'amongs' and from about 1400 on some South Englanders began to speak this 'amongs' as 'amongst' erratically, probably under the influence of adjectives' superlative declension '-st', though people in Midlanders and Northlanders continued to speak it as 'among'. So it would not be far from the truth to say that 'amongst' is a dialectal word of South England. Actually 'amongst' is rarely used in American English.
'Among' and 'amongst' are used even now in parallel without differentiating their sense and syntactic function. It is interesting to compare this with the development of pairing words 'again' and 'against'. The word 'against' was also coined in South England as an erratic form of the genitive 'agains', but as to the pair of 'again' and 'against', they developed into two words distinctively different in their meaning as well as in their syntactic roles.
So I guess all that means, whichever you like best. :)
OK this is an odd one but I want to title this snap "Amongst the Clouds" or "Among the Clouds" - Which one would be correct - Seem to be having a hard time choosing as both would seem correct - Rather embarrassing especially as I am British!
Thanks in advance for any info...
Oh here is the pic..
I just checked my dictionary, printed in the US, and they give among as the first usage but give an "also used" for amongst. I think you have an "either/eyether" situation -- both are correct, but one is American usage and the other British. FWIW, out here on the Left Coast, you hardly ever hear amongst. 8)
As a translator (amongst other preoccupations), let me say this: In American English, among is your only choice, if you want to be taken seriously. :)
In British English, you could use either, although even in BE among is the more commonly used form. If you choose amongst (BE), you'll still invite an archaic sense.
Poetic and archaic forms of a word are certainly not the same thing to those who care about language.
In your context, I'd use among, as it is the most universal word of the two.
As a description of where you were, among would fit prefectly well.
However, to increase dramatic and poetic title, Amongst fits better and has a lilt that conjures up human ability to fly in the clouds...without an aircraft:) It has a dreamy, astral feeling to it. Of earth meeting sky with a person amongst the scenery:))
