dce (11/28/82)
I like your derivation of 'nope', Steve. I really don't think that the absence of 'noap' has any effect on your argument. Most new words try to follow the current accepted spelling rules of the language, using well-known rules, like the silent 'e' rule that turns kit into kite, etc. A spelling like 'noap' would be too different, since there are very few words with 'oa' in them. David Elliott