μέιλ / e-mail / ταχυδρομείο

[cosmasad]

Hello friends,

I have seen the word "Μέιλ" used in email messages as in «Στείλτε μου την απάντηση σας με μέιλ» and I'm wondering if they mean "Send me your answer by email" or are they asking me to send them my answer by post office mail - as in a letter that a postal carrier delivers?

In other words, when the word "Μέιλ" is used without the "ε-" preceding it does it still mean "email" or does it mean "snail mail?"

Thank you, all.

 

[nickel]

This reminds me of one of our first posts, almost fifteen years ago.

Από το e-mail στο ιμέιλ

από τη στήλη Ιντερμέδιο του Ανδρέα Παππά ΒΙΒΛΙΟΘΗΚΗ - 07/03/2008 Καθημερινά διαπιστώνω πως όλο και περισσότερο το e-mail τείνει να γίνει αναπόσπαστο κομμάτι της ζωής μας. Ακόμα κι εγώ, αν και «ηλεκτρονικά αναλφάβητος», έχω βρει τρόπο ώστε να λαμβάνω και να στέλνω e-mail, είτε αυτά αφορούν...

www.lexilogia.gr

In those days we were still discussing what we would call these messages and how we would write them. Nowadays, email or e-mail is nearly always used in letterheads, as well as almost every other context, but in informal text μέιλ or ιμέιλ is preferable and always refers to electronic mail.

 

[cosmasad]

Thank you, Nickel. That is very clear. What phrase would one use if one wants to receive a "hard copy" -- anotherwords something sent by postal mail?

 

[nickel]

Με (το) κανονικό ταχυδρομείο.
Obviously an expression that was coined after the emergence of email.

 

[Zazula]

Ήδη και δεκαπέντε χρόνια πριν, προσωπικά έβλεπα πως συντριπτικά επικρατέστερη εκδοχή θα αποδεικνυόταν το «μέιλ»:

Για το ιμέιλ το 'πα και σε άλλο νήμα - ο κόσμος προτιμά πολύ περισσότερο να λέει και να γράφει "μέιλ" (σκέτο).

 

[cosmasad]

Για το ιμέιλ το 'πα και σε άλλο νήμα - ο κόσμος προτιμά πολύ περισσότερο να λέει και να γράφει "μέιλ" (σκέτο).

I don't know if anyone can answer but I wonder why? It's not as if ιμέιλ is so long or onerous. Why and how did ιμέιλ lose it's "ι"?

 

[nickel]

Let's not forget that it is also simply mail in English.

You've Got Mail (1998) - IMDb

e-m@il für Dich (1998) Reference View

www.imdb.com

Speaking of the movie, the Greek title was the very formal Έχετε μήνυμα στον υπολογιστή σας.

 

[dharvatis]

Για το ιμέιλ το 'πα και σε άλλο νήμα - ο κόσμος προτιμά πολύ περισσότερο να λέει και να γράφει "μέιλ" (σκέτο).

I don't know if anyone can answer but I wonder why? It's not as if ιμέιλ is so long or onerous. Why and how did ιμέιλ lose it's "ι"?

The -έι- in "μέιλ" is pronounce very quickly, like a single syllable. So the extra syllable of ι- practically doubles the size of the word.
Also, when you say "ιμέιλ" you feel that you should put an accent on ι-, so you end up having two consecutive accented syllables, which is a bother to say. Maybe that's why people prefer to omit it.

 

[Zazula]

The -έι- in "μέιλ" is pronounce very quickly, like a single syllable. So the extra syllable of ι- practically doubles the size of the word.
Also, when you say "ιμέιλ" you feel that you should put an accent on ι-, so you end up having two consecutive accented syllables, which is a bother to say. Maybe that's why people prefer to omit it.

Προσωπικά όταν πάω να πω «ιμέιλ» το λέω τρισύλλαβο — ενώ το μέιλ μονοσύλλαβο, η διαφορά για μένα είναι τεράστια.