"a moment ago" vs. "a mome nt a go"

[NewAmerica]

Online Oxford dictionary writes it as "a moment ago", which is normally seen. But my iPad, both New Oxford Dictionary and Oxford Dictionary, write it as "a mome nt a go." (See the attached screenshot). I wonder whether it is a mistake made by the iPad. Or is it deliberately written this way? If so, what does it mean?

*******************
schwa:
The unstressed central vowel (as in a moment ago), represented by the symbol /ə/ in the International Phonetic Alphabet.

Source: Oxford Dictionary (online)
schwa | Definition of schwa in English by Lexico Dictionaries

From my iPad:

 

[Chez]

It's a mistake.

 

[Nikined]

It must be a mistake.

 

[PaulQ]

I wonder whether it is a mistake made by the iPad.

Is that from the iPad's dictionary? It is wrong and hard to see why the added spaces should appear.

What happens when you look up "moment"?

 

[NewAmerica]

Thank you

What happens when you look up "moment"?

Normal:

Is that from the iPad's dictionary? It is wrong and hard to see why the added spaces should appear.

Yes. Designed in California by Apple.

 

[PaulQ]

Weird!

 

[Hildy1]

Here is the definition from the online Oxford Reference dictionary:
"In phonetics, the unstressed central vowel (as in a moment ago)"
Schwa - Oxford Reference

In the example given in the definition, the three vowels "a moment ago" are in italics (I have added the bolding). Maybe, in the transition to iPad operating language, the italics have somehow been changed into spaces.

 

[JulianStuart]

Here is the definition from the online Oxford Reference dictionary:
"In phonetics, the unstressed central vowel (as in a moment ago)"
Schwa - Oxford Reference

In the example given in the definition, the three vowels "a moment ago" are in italics (I have added the bolding). Maybe, in the transition to iPad operating language, the italics have somehow been changed into spaces.

I agree - it looks like a bad transformation from one format to another in computerland somewhere

 

[NewAmerica]

I agree - it looks like a bad transformation from one format to another in computerland somewhere

Use your iPad to check out schwa. See whether it has the same problem. I suspect it may be normal in an American version of iPad.

 

[dojibear]

I suspect the following cause for this problem:

They are using "a moment ago" as an example of a schwa. Here I have used a boldface e to mark the schwa'd vowel. They used some kind of special mark after it ("a mome*nt ago") to mark it. That works fine in one font, but someone else changed the font (for all definitions, in this app), and in that different font the "*" became " ".

 

[JulianStuart]

I suspect the following cause for this problem:

They are using "a moment ago" as an example of a schwa. Here I have used a boldface e to mark the schwa'd vowel. They used some kind of special mark after it ("a mome*nt ago") to mark it. That works fine in one font, but someone else changed the font (for all definitions, in this app), and in that different font the "*" became " ".

The same event probably happened with the a of ago, since it is also a schwa

 

[JulianStuart]

Use your iPad to check out schwa. See whether it has the same problem. I suspect it may be normal in an American version of iPad.

I find it on my iPad, but also on my desktop Mac in a Google search for the word schwa

noun

PHONETICS the unstressed central vowel (as in a mom e nt a go), represented by the symbol ə in the International Phonetic Alphabet.

That text can be found in many places on the web if you search for {"mom e nt a go"}.

 

[NewAmerica]

I find it on my iPad, but also on my desktop Mac in a Google search for the word schwa

The schwa problem appears to have been lingering since the iconic iPad held by Jobs:

Looks like Apple doesn't care about this minor fault.

 

[JulianStuart]

The schwa problem appears to have been lingering since the iconic iPad held by Jobs:
Looks like Apple doesn't care about this minor fault.

??? Care to explain? I have no trouble creating or viewing a schwa on my iPad. A bit more complicated on my Mac but not a problem ə. I have a shortcut

 

[NewAmerica]

??? Care to explain? I have no trouble creating or viewing a schwa on my iPad. A bit more complicated on my Mac but not a problem ə.

What? It doesn't sound consistent with your previous post:

"I find it on my iPad, but also on my desktop Mac in a Google search for the word schwa."

Please upload a screenshot to see what is happening.

PS. I just checked out the schwa in the iconic iPad. The "very old hero" could still visit this website.

 

[JulianStuart]

xxx

What? It doesn't sound consistent with your previous post:

"I find it on my iPad, but also on my desktop Mac in a Google search for the word schwa."

Please upload a screenshot to see what is happening.

PS. I just checked out the schwa in the iconic iPad. The "very old hero" could still visit this website.

I was talking about finding the text string on the internet by searching using google, as I clearly explained here

That text can be found in many places on the web if you search for {"mom e nt a go"}.

“It” is the text string, not a problem with creating or viewing a schwa. Post #12 has an example of a hit from the search. Searching for that text is completely separate from whether I can view or create a schwa symboll. My short cut is when I type xxx I get Ə ə æ. Still not sure what Jobs has to do with this thread

 

[NewAmerica]

I don't know how to properly understand you, JS.
The New Oxford Dictionary and Oxford Dictionary are embeded in iPads and you need not link it to Internet to search definitions.
The iPad held in the hands of Steve Jobs had only The NOD embeded within and it had "a mome nt a go" rather than "a moment ago" when giving definition of schwa.
I am not sure whether your iPad has the same problem from reading your descriptions above (they show Yes and No at the same time). So a screenshot of your iPad when you touch the word schwa and then touch "Define" or "Look up" from the pop-up menu is the best way to show the true result.

 

[JulianStuart]

I don't know how to properly understand you, JB.
The New Oxford Dictionary and Oxford Dictionary are embeded in iPads and you need not link it to Internet to search definitions.
The iPad held in the hands of Steve Jobs had only The NOD embeded within and it had "a mome nt a go" rather than "a moment ago" when giving definition of schwa.
I am not sure whether your iPad has the same problem from reading your descriptions above (they show Yes and No at the same time). So a screenshot of your iPad when you touch the word schwa and then touch "Define" or "Look up" from the pop-up menu is the best way to show the true result.

(Who is JB?)
They do not show "yes" and "no" if you read carefully.

I find it {the text string in the look-up} on my iPad, but also on my desktop Mac in a Google search for the word schwa
That {same} text can be found in many places on the web if you search for {"mom e nt a go"}.

Yes, I see the text string on my iPad. However, I was simply saying that the word string {a mome nt a go} is found in MANY other places on the internet, unrelated to iPads. The quote in #12 did NOT come from an iPad, it came from a search of the internet and it is not an Oxford definition. Where and how it originated (which particular transition from one computer format to another as suggested above) is unclear.