Bank switching or bank-switching or bankswitching?

[+Random Terrain]

I hope I haven't asked this before. Which one of these is the accepted version:

 

bank switching

 

bank-switching

 

bankswitching

 

 

Thanks.

[Emehr]

I use "bankswitching" even though I'm not 100% clear how or why bankswitching works.

 

Hyphenating or spacing the words makes it look like an Old English version of a word that was once hyphenated but over time has become a single word. I have no examples of such words because I'm only on my first cup of caffeinated beverage this morning. Plus, it looks better and doesn't indicate a break or pause in the pronunciation. One word, flowing, like butter over hot corn.

Edited May 6, 2012 by Emehr

[RevEng]

Checking out google, they all seem to be in common use, more or less equally.

 

It seems that Fred Quimby, Kevin Horton, and David Schell all refer to it as "bankswitching" in different docs, so we may want to consider that our local standard.

[+Random Terrain]

I use "bankswitching" even though I'm not 100% clear how or why bankswitching works.

 

You are funny, so I will tell the aliens to eat your brain last.

 

 

 

Hyphenating or spacing the words makes it look like an Old English version of a word that was once hyphenated but over time has become a single word. I have no examples of such words because I'm only on my first cup of caffeinated beverage this morning. Plus, it looks better and doesn't indicate a break or pause in the pronunciation. One word, flowing, like butter over hot corn.

Checking out google, they all seem to be in common use, more or less equally.

 

It seems that Fred Quimby, Kevin Horton, and David Schell all refer to it as "bankswitching" in different docs, so we may want to consider that our local standard.

 

Thanks. I'll adjust the bB page so that only bankswitching is used.

[SeaGtGruff]

I hope I haven't asked this before. Which one of these is the accepted version:

 

bank switching

 

bank-switching

 

bankswitching

 

 

Thanks.

The following explanation is mainly my own observation, not some grammatical rule, so take it or leave it as you wish:

 

Usually when some "new" term that's formed from two existing words first begins to be used, it's written as its two separate component words, because it's not yet commonly accepted as a single word.

 

The hyphenated version is normally used in cases where the new term is an adjective or adverb. Thus, "bank switching" is a noun, or possibly a verb in some uses (but it would be more proper to say "switch banks" when using it as a verb), while "bank-switching" is an adjective (e.g., "a bank-switching scheme").

 

If the new term is used enough to become commonly accepted as a new word in dictionaries, it may be written as a single word.

 

As far as Google or Wikipedia or anything on the internet, I don't think that's a good argument for one spelling or the other, sense a lots of continent on teh inturnet is ritten by peepul hoo dont no how ta spell verry gud any ways.