| Bigshot - 8/12/2020 11:04 From what I understand, "Disc" is modern British English. (French influenced English. Hence the "c".) Most of the commonwealth countries use this version. Canada being commonwealth, but also part of North America confusingly uses both versions. U.S.A generally uses the older (pre French influenced) English version "Disk".
I think Bigshot is on the right track and worldwide, probably 'disc' is more prevalent. A problem arises when adding suffixes. When the letter 'c' is followed by an 'e', 'i', or 'y' the sound is like the soft 's' as in words like city and cell and bicycle. Any other letter after and 'c' has a 'k' sound, as in call, club, and cork. Words like success and accident are interesting because the first 'c' (followed by not an 'e' or an 'i') has the hard sound but the second has the soft sound because an 'e' or an 'i' comes after.
So, we start with disc with the hard sound such that disc and disk are pronounced the same. If we were to add 'ed' or 'ing' to disc, we'd have trouble not switching the 'c' to an 's' sound (think of words like scene and scintillate) and the solution would be to change that 'c' to a 'k' and we end up with strange things like, 'I took my disc to the field and I disked it.' OR 'I'm disking my field with my disc.'
I suppose that somewhere in the murky past, some practical Yankee said, "Aw, the heck with it- I'm just gonna stick with the 'k' and be done with it!"
Edited by Yoosta B 8/12/2020 19:11
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tonight's "titillating" conversation with the wife....
