***OFFICIAL*** Spelling Advisory! It's SotomayOR and protestER --

[smalll]

NOT "Sotomayer" or "protestor."

This has been a public service. I'd suggest that anyone henceforward who sees "Sotomayer" or "protestor" on DU alert on it immediately.

Learn how to spell!

[Starbucks Anarchist]

1. "Small" should only have two Ls.

[Starry Messenger]

2. +1

[tridim]

4. HA HA!

:rofl: :)

[fishwax]

3. actually, protester is okay either way

(though the "er" spelling is more common)

[smalll]

5. Wow! You may be right, but talk about defining deviancy down --

how has "protestor" ever been less than favored? What newspaper or publishing house has ever chosen "protestor" as their favored iteration of the term?

[Drunken Irishman]

6. I don't know. I'm guessing it's like theatre/theater?

Maybe it's a geographical difference?

[smalll]

7. Well, it's not a Brit thing -- just site-searched the Guardian newspaper --

10,360 hits for "protester" -- 122 for "protestor" -- (there's a small minority of semi-literates even amongst British journalists. Or we can all have our weak moments.) But as to what you're getting at, no, "protestor" is just WRONG, on BOTH sides of the herring pond.

[MADem]

8. You're right

Origin:
1350–1400; (n.) ME < MF (F protêt), deriv. of protester to protest < L prōtestārī to declare publicly, equiv. to prō- pro- 1 + testārī to testify, deriv. of testis a witness; (v.) late ME protesten < MF protester

Related forms:

pro⋅test⋅a⋅ble, adjective
pro⋅test⋅er, pro⋅tes⋅tor, noun
pro⋅test⋅ing⋅ly, adverb
pro⋅test⋅ive, adjective

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/protestor?jss=1

[ColbertWatcher]

9. Here, you need these ...

[madmax]

10. Every Mod on DU thanks you. ;-) n/t

[H2O Man]

11. Does neatness count?