[78-L] 5 reasons to hate 78-L

[Martin Fenton]

On 09/03/2011 21:49, Erwin Kluwer wrote:
> You are totally wrong even if you lived in Amsterdam! There are very strict
> rules about when to use the y or ij spelling!! Any kid in elementary school
> doing it wrong will know!!!

This intrigues me. I've been learning Dutch as I've been to the 
Netherlands on frequent business recently, and one of my counterparts 
over there likes to light-heartedly test me ("Cute accent," he says of 
my mellifluous, English tones. He says that the Dutch are so used to 
speaking English with an American accent, it comes as quite a surprise 
to hear Dutch haltingly spoken with an English accent. He also says I 
shouldn't apologise on the occasions when I get a word wrong, but start 
swearing instead, so I'm not sure how much I should trust him!)

Anyway, back to being intrigued. Which is correct: Ijmuiden or Ymuiden? 
Modern sources usually spell it the former way; older books and 
reference materials the latter (the latest example I know of is in the 
film "Operation Amsterdam," made in 1959 but set in 1940.) Some sources 
even spell it both ways, with Ymuiden in parentheses. Then there are 
those which spell it IJmuiden with both a capital I and J.

Just wondering.

Martin.