"Tullish", an adjective?

[Mehrgan]

Hi all,
As far as I know the suffix -ish can be added to the end of lots of nouns. (I think it's used mostly in BrE, and not in standard English, of course.) (Please correct me if I've got it wrong.)

Can I say "tullish" for a kind of dress made of tulle?



Thanks a lot.

 

[MiaCulpa]

Hi all,
As far as I know the suffix -ish can be added to the end of lots of nouns. (I think it's used mostly in BrE, and not in standard English, of course.) (Please correct me if I've got it wrong.)

Can I say "tullish" for a kind of dress made of tulle?



Thanks a lot.

The suffix, "-ish," is common in AmE as well, although we would retain the hyphen on uncommonly appended words (and perhaps put the uncommon word in "double quotes" as well) when used in formal writing. I think most native speakers of English would recommend that you only add the suffix to words that do not end in vowels that must be omitted. The suffix tends to occur only when the pronunciation of the root word is not changed by the addition, and "tulle," which rhymes with "rule," would become "tull-ish," which rhymes with "dull-ish."

 

[Mehrgan]

The suffix, "-ish," is common in AmE as well, although we would retain the hyphen on uncommonly appended words (and perhaps put the uncommon word in "double quotes" as well) when used in formal writing. I think most native speakers of English would recommend that you only add the suffix to words that do not end in vowels that must be omitted. The suffix tends to occur only when the pronunciation of the root word is not changed by the addition, and "tulle," which rhymes with "rule," would become "tull-ish," which rhymes with "dull-ish."

Thanks a lot! So, do you mean that It can't be pronounced as /tju:lɪʃ/? (As you put it, it'd be pronounced as /tʌlɪʃ/)

What adjective do you suggest for a dress made of tulle then?

Thanks in advance.

 

[5jj]

What adjective do you suggest for a dress made of tulle then?

Tulle?

 

[MiaCulpa]

Tulle?

I feel quite safe in guessing you've never worn a tutu. ;-) Tulle is not the most comfortable of fabrics, though it can be quite beautiful.

 

[Mehrgan]

Tulle?

So, would "tulle skirt" be tolerable for native speakers?

 

[Mehrgan]

Or, maybe, just "sheer skirt", "sheer socks", etc.?!

 

[Mehrgan]

I feel quite safe in guessing you've never worn a tutu. ;-) Tulle is not the most comfortable of fabrics, though it can be quite beautiful.

Nice sharing of the feelings!

 

[MiaCulpa]

Thanks a lot! So, do you mean that It can't be pronounced as /tju:lɪʃ/? (As you put it, it'd be pronounced as /tʌlɪʃ/)

What adjective do you suggest for a dress made of tulle then?

Thanks in advance.

If you kept the final "e" and the hypen, so that it was spelled "tulle-ish) then the first pronunciation would apply.

The adjective would depend on the stiffness of the fabric and how decorative it is, I suppose. Is it a fluid, veil-like tulle, or a crisp, lacy tulle--with a lining, I assume. (You'll notice I just used some adjectives for tulle, as you requested). You can always refer to it as a tulle dress, just as you could refer to a dress made of silk as a silk dress. The names of fabrics often are used both as adjectives and as nouns.

 

[MiaCulpa]

Or, maybe, just "sheer skirt" . . . ?!

:shock: You are very brave.

 

[Tdol]

Adding -ish would suggest to me that the dress was not tulle but something similar.

 

[Mehrgan]

Adding -ish would suggest to me that the dress was not tulle but something similar.

Oh, yes! Thanks! I just remembered that, for example, 12-ish, would mean about 12, because we are not sure about the exact time.


Ta!

 

[5jj]

I feel quite safe in guessing you've never worn a tutu.

It's a good job thing the camera on my computer isn't working, or you might be surprised.:B-fly:

 

[BobK]

... The suffix tends to occur only when the pronunciation of the root word is not changed by the addition, and "tulle," which rhymes with "rule," would become "tull-ish," which rhymes with "dull-ish."

:up: ... so 'tullish' made me think of eighteenth-century farming methods (Jethro Tull (agriculturist) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ) rather than dress fabric. ;-)

b

 

[Barb_D]

If the skirt is made of tulle, then say "A tulle skirt."

The same for a velvet dress, a corduroy jacket, or a leather mini.

Using the "ish" ending makes it sound like it is similar to, but not the same as, what you are describing.

If the fabric is LIKE a more commonly known fabric, you can say something like "A velvet-like dress."

 

[BobK]

If the skirt is made of tulle, then say "A tulle skirt."

The same for a velvet dress, a corduroy jacket, or a leather mini.

Using the "ish" ending makes it sound like it is similar to, but not the same as, what you are describing.

If the fabric is LIKE a more commonly known fabric, you can say something like "A velvet-like dress."

:up: This is a case where the phrase 'sort of' can be used in a way where it seems to be misapplied. I've heard the expression 'a velvety sort of dress', where there is no doubt that the garment in question is a dress!

b

 

[Barb_D]

I can't believe Jed let the opportunity to comment on "a leather mini" pass without comment!

 

[riquecohen]

So, would "tulle skirt" be tolerable for native speakers?

Yes, a "tulle skirt" would be comfortable for native speakers but not, perhaps, for native wearers.

 

[5jj]

I can't believe Jed let the opportunity to comment on "a leather mini" pass without comment!

Age, m'dear.:-(

 

[Mehrgan]

Yes, a "tulle skirt" would be comfortable for native speakers but not, perhaps, for native wearers.

Good thing I didn't think of other examples! ;-)

Thanks for the reply!