Utraquism in Office 2003

Yes, that is a real word. 'Utraquism' means "the use of two languages on an equal basis". And, yes, I didn't know its meaning either until I found it in dictionary. But it's a good word, and we should all use it more frequently.

In the most tenuous link you're ever likely to find on this blog, Office 2003 is pretty good at utraquism. In fact, your software can handle far more than just two languages; as many as you need in reality. But Office 2003 can only be multilingual this if you remember to enable the languages that you are likely to use. To do this, click Start, then point to All Programs, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office Tools, then click on Microsoft Office 2003 Language Settings. Here you can set your default language and Add/Remove languages based on your needs.

With the right languages set up in Office 2003 you can then type away being as multilingual as you like and the spelling and grammar checking will adapt accordingly. Just don't expect it to understand obscure words like utraquism!

Comments

• Anonymous
  February 02, 2006
  Where are you getting this definition from? I see references to the catholic church.
  
  "Utraquism, briefly stated, means this: Man, in order to be saved, must receive Holy Communion when he wishes and where he wishes, under the forms of bread and wine (sub utraque specie)."
• Anonymous
  February 05, 2006
  My understanding comes from a small book called 'Weird and Wonderful Words' by Erin McKean. The definition given reads "a rare word meaning 'the use of two languages on an equal basis.' From the Latin phrase meaning 'under each kind.'"