It's "sodder", not "soLder", damnit! (for us USAians)

[TimFox]

And "four by two" is easier to say than 100x50.

True, but nobody calls them that here: they're two-by-fours. (Confusingly to those who don't handle them regularly, ackshooly 1-1/2" x 3-1/2", or something close to that. We don't have to go through the whole "they start out at 2" x 4" rough-cut before surfacing" thing, do we?)

I can assure you I have never in my life heard anyone in this country call them "two-by-fours". You have four-by-twos, six-by-twos, six-by-fours and of course various square sections. The larger number goes first. Always.

Your local usage may differ but that's how it is here.

US usage almost always has the smaller number first for rectangle sizes.
Besides 2x4, etc., photo print sizes are 4x5, 4x6, 8x10, etc.
Area rug sizes are 6x9, 8x12, etc. (feet).
An exception: 120 roll film (2.25” wide, often approximated as 6 cm) can be shot as 6x4.5, 6x6, 6x7, 6x9, 6x12, or other formats, depending on the camera (approximate cm sizes).

[SteveThackery]

I can assure you I have never in my life heard anyone in this country call them "two-by-fours". You have four-by-twos, six-by-twos, six-by-fours and of course various square sections. The larger number goes first. Always.

Your local usage may differ but that's how it is here.

Here in Britain we normally say "two-by-fours".

[Zero999]

Whilst it isn't impossible the L was silent before English travelled to America and the Brits started pronouncing it, it does seem unlikely because that's not what normally happens. The idea that both pronunciations were common 250 years ago makes more sense.

As I already explained at least once, this word is documented as originating without it, and being relatinized later on in England.

Where? Apologies if I've missed it. I have reread this thread a few times. You linked to a Wikipedia page about the English Language Spelling Reforms of the 16th and 17th centuries. It doesn't mention the world solder specifically and it is only about spelling, rather than pronunciation. If some scholars decided to pronounce the silent L in solder, then how did is spread all around the country to the working class, at a time when there was no television or radio and many children didn't got to school? It isn't as though it's purely a word which only highly educated folk use. There would have been plenty of plumbers and craftsmen who learned their trade informally, rather than studying at university, who would have most likely soldered rather than soddered.

[IanB]

Where? Apologies if I've missed it. I have reread this thread a few times. You linked to a Wikipedia page about the English Language Spelling Reforms of the 16th and 17th centuries. It doesn't mention the world solder specifically and it is only about spelling, rather than pronunciation. If some scholars decided to pronounce the silent L in solder, then how did is spread all around the country to the working class, at a time when there was no television or radio and many children didn't got to school? It isn't as though it's purely a word which only highly educated folk use. There would have been plenty of plumbers and craftsmen who learned their trade informally, rather than studying at university, who would have most likely soldered rather than soddered.

It's quite the opposite. If you insert an L into the spelling of a word, then people will want to pronounce it. Scholars will keep the L silent, but the everyday working classes will start to include it.

You can see this today, with many people starting to pronounce the L in words like salmon and folk, both of which historically have a silent L.

I've lost count of the number of times I have heard people on YT say sal-mon and fol-k rather than sammon and foke.

I do not really know why Americans did not start to do the same with solder.

[PlainName]

I can assure you I have never in my life heard anyone in this country call them "two-by-fours". You have four-by-twos, six-by-twos, six-by-fours and of course various square sections. The larger number goes first. Always.

Your local usage may differ but that's how it is here.

Here in Britain we normally say "two-by-fours".

We do. But when I did photography we called the plates 'ten-by-eight's. I think 'five-by-four' too.

[Zero999]

Where? Apologies if I've missed it. I have reread this thread a few times. You linked to a Wikipedia page about the English Language Spelling Reforms of the 16th and 17th centuries. It doesn't mention the world solder specifically and it is only about spelling, rather than pronunciation. If some scholars decided to pronounce the silent L in solder, then how did is spread all around the country to the working class, at a time when there was no television or radio and many children didn't got to school? It isn't as though it's purely a word which only highly educated folk use. There would have been plenty of plumbers and craftsmen who learned their trade informally, rather than studying at university, who would have most likely soldered rather than soddered.

It's quite the opposite. If you insert an L into the spelling of a word, then people will want to pronounce it. Scholars will keep the L silent, but the everyday working classes will start to include it.

You can see this today, with many people starting to pronounce the L in words like salmon and folk, both of which historically have a silent L.

I've lost count of the number of times I have heard people on YT say sal-mon and fol-k rather than sammon and foke.

I do not really know why Americans did not start to do the same with solder.

Exactly. That's why I find it perplexing.

It's not just that, but languages evolve naturally and are rarely controlled by the elites, especially pronunciation.

I've never heard a native English speaker pronounce the L in salmon. I've heard some pronounce the L in folk and yolk, which I consider to be a regional variation.

[Analog Kid]

An exception: 120 roll film (2.25” wide, often approximated as 6 cm) can be shot as 6x4.5, 6x6, 6x7, 6x9, 6x12, or other formats, depending on the camera (approximate cm sizes).

Yes.

Back when I was into wet photography (still have 3 good enlargers sitting in storage) I got into using 120 film.
I remember quite a while ago when it was usually referred to as "2-and-a-quarter", referring to the width of 2-1/4".
But I soon caught on to the metric way of describing the different formats, which is actually easier to use.
They're all 6cm wide (across the width of the film) but differ in height, with the sizes that Tim gave above.
My favorite is 6x9, which is a little bit wider in proportion than the standard "miniature" (35mm) camera format (24x36mm).
I also shot with a bunch of old folding plate cameras using sheet-film backs. The standard size for those was 9x12 (cm), a little smaller than our standard 4" x 5" format. Extremely high resolution if shot, developed and enlarged correctly.

[Geoff-AU]

It's not just that, but languages evolve naturally and are rarely controlled by the elites, especially pronunciation.

Language is one of the most common areas where if the majority continue to do the wrong thing, the dictionary updates to accommodate it and it becomes correct.

So if you're in the minority with pronunciation, you're wrong.  Simple as that.     (300 million vs 8 billion... sorry USA, get with the program).

[brucehoult]

Being down under clearly affects you.

In many very beneficial ways, especially in increasingly troubled times world-wide such as we've had since roughly New Year 2020.

[paulca]

I remember the shock I got when an American sailor hollared "Land Ahoo-eee"

I was like, WTF? 

Ahoy!

[brucehoult]

I remember the shock I got when an American sailor hollared "Land Ahoo-eee"

I was like, WTF? 

Ahoy!

Rhymes with "buoy", amirite

[Analog Kid]

I remember the shock I got when an American sailor hollared "Land Ahoo-eee"

I was like, WTF? 

Ahoy!

Rhymes with "buoy", amirite

Sounds like it rhymes with a sneeze: "ah-Chooey!" (with an extra fillip at the end).

[PlainName]

I remember the shock I got when an American sailor hollared "Land Ahoo-eee"

I was like, WTF? 

Ahoy!

Rhymes with "buoy", amirite

'Buoy' is pronounced 'boy', innit?

[paulca]

I remember the shock I got when an American sailor hollared "Land Ahoo-eee"

I was like, WTF? 

Ahoy!

Rhymes with "buoy", amirite

'Buoy' is pronounced 'boy', innit?

Indeed.  But turned back on myself, you should have heard what I came up with for "Lake tahoe"  Ta-hooee!

[paulca]

On "mute" L's.  The Spanish.  The number of places I have been where there are clearly L's in the place name but none are pronounced in Spain tops most other "L's omissions".

LIterally went paragliding in "Montellano".   Pronounced.  "Monti-ano."

There was another one, I'll butcher the spelling, but Collolyte.  Pronounced like Coyote.

[Aldo22]

On "mute" L's.  The Spanish.  The number of places I have been where there are clearly L's in the place name but none are pronounced in Spain tops most other "L's omissions".

LIterally went paragliding in "Montellano".   Pronounced.  "Monti-ano."

There was another one, I'll butcher the spelling, but Collolyte.  Pronounced like Coyote.

This only applies to double “L”s, and it's always like that in Spanish.
Spanish “Ll” = ‘Y’ or “J” in English. Always, as far as I know.

[sanleontexas]

And then there's 'andouille'.

[Aldo22]

And then there's 'andouille'.

Oh, another source of misunderstandings... 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andouille

[brucehoult]

I remember the shock I got when an American sailor hollared "Land Ahoo-eee"

I was like, WTF? 

Ahoy!

Rhymes with "buoy", amirite

'Buoy' is pronounced 'boy', innit?

In the British Commonwealth, yes, but seppos seem to say it boo-eee for some reason.

[PlainName]

I remember the shock I got when an American sailor hollared "Land Ahoo-eee"

I was like, WTF? 

Ahoy!

Rhymes with "buoy", amirite

'Buoy' is pronounced 'boy', innit?

In the British Commonwealth, yes, but seppos seem to say it boo-eee for some reason.

Weird 

[negativ3]

Then there's Arkansas (Arkansaw) and Finzean (Fingin) more dialectical oddities.

[PlainName]

I think you might have meant to type 'diachronistic' in that one 

[sanleontexas]

Could be, I didn't think anyone would pronounce it 'andoil' so wiki'ed it.

[sanleontexas]

Drop the 'land' and I've heard people sound like that when they sneezed.

[Randy222]

Should the thread subject say "Is it "sodder" or "soLder", damnit! (for us USAians)?"

sodder I know used by sod turf people, the manager tells the workers "ok, sod'er up", and poof, a new lawn is born.

soLder I hear sometimes on car lots, ask the sales guy "what happened to that Toyota you had here last week?", get a reply "sold'er a few days ago".