[url=http://tw.forumosa.com/t/in-back-of-and-other-americanisms/62222/1 of general Americanisms[/url] my missus told me that the reason ‘x’mas’ is used in asia is because of American English being taught in schools. Is it true and if so what the hell is up with that? The apostrophe make it a contraction, whats it a contraction of cos it sure isn’t Christmas otherwise it would be C’mas or something.
Someone please enlighten this otherwise bilingual limey
I like C’mas. We should all go with that.
[quote=“StuartCa”]Talking of general Americanisms my missus told me that the reason ‘x’mas’ is used in asia is because of American English being taught in schools. Is it true and if so what the hell is up with that? The apostrophe make it a contraction, whats it a contraction of cos it sure isn’t Christmas otherwise it would be C’mas or something.
Someone please enlighten this otherwise bilingual limey[/quote]
the US is too lazy to use apostrophes so that must be a close but not quite correct abbreviation.
Yeah i’m not doubting that lazy Americans invented the word Xmas, the Brits are too proper to do something like that without a little encouragement from our wayward cousins.
So where does this damn apostrophe come from, I thought it was just a Taiwan chinglish thing but i saw on CNN this morning they have it in HK as well, at least they were colonized!!!
No. And this is hardly obscure knowledge that it is a very old form.
Perhaps the apostrophe comes in because people think they are omitting something or they think it’s is Christ’s Mas = X’mas. Don’t know. Seems unecessary.
Thanks MM I actually hadn’t heard that before.
Yes thanks MM. We got enough to explain for as it is, let’s not start tacking stuff on 
I always thought it was because X (cross) sounded vaguely like the Christ (with a silent or near silent t) in Christmas.
Mucha Man: Any idea why the X was chosen as the abbreviation of Christ?
[quote=“GuyInTaiwan”]I always thought it was because X (cross) sounded vaguely like the Christ (with a silent or near silent t) in Christmas.
Muzha Man: Any idea why the X was chosen as the abbreviation of Christ?[/quote]
Greek letter Chi = X
From wiki:
Okay, but what happens to the r? It’s Christ, not Chist, or do the Greeks call him Chist?
[quote=“GuyInTaiwan”]I always thought it was because X (cross) sounded vaguely like the Christ (with a silent or near silent t) in Christmas.
Muzha Man: Any idea why the X was chosen as the abbreviation of Christ?[/quote]
It’s the first letter in “Christ” in Greek. It used to commonly be “xp,” which, in Greek, makes the sounds “kr” in our phonetic system (the first two letters).
Rho (P) is the second letter, after chi (X).
So “Christ” is abbreviated X, and also XP in some contexts.
Edit. Others have answered.
No wonder I swear at Windows all the time.
Well, the fact that the Greeks can’t spell probably goes some way in explaining why their country is currently such a mess.
Regarding the issue of X in Xmas being the Greek chi and serving as an abbreviation for Christ: it still surprises me that there are so many people who are unaware of it. I knew the explanation as a kid. When I was a young kid in my single digits, I saw the word “Xmas” outside a store. Now what does any red-blooded kid do when he sees something puzzling? He asks his dad about it. I did just that, and he explained it to me. And well into adulthood, I thought it was standard general knowledge.
No wonder I swear at Windows all the time.[/quote]
That’s chi-rho.
As in Chi-rho-practor!
I actually knew this, since it’s the same in Russian and I know the Russian alphabet, but I’m quite tired today and didn’t make the obvious connection (Cyrillic coming from Greek, of course).
Chris: There must be lots of stuff you don’t know though that some people would find odd.
No wonder I swear at Windows all the time.[/quote]
That’s chi-rho.
As in Chi-rho-practor![/quote]
Jesus H X. Don’t ruin my Window’s pun.