# unpolite / impolite



## piloya

Hi,
I was in another forum when someone corrected my "unpolite" for "impolite". Confused, I looked it up in the dictionary and found both words meaning exactly the same.
Now, which is really correct and/or more used?
Does it depend on whether it's England or America?


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## Phryne

I've always heard "impolite" in American English. I have no idea if "unpolite" is accepted in England.

saludos


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## cuchuflete

Hola  Piloya,

De acuerdo con Phryne, en esta zona se dice 'impolite'.

saludos,
Cuchu


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## piloya

is there any "European English speaker" around?    or am I the only one left using "unpolite"?


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## alc112

Quizás debe ser la misma regla del español:
antes de p se escribe m
Así que sería Impolite


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## Like an Angel

Cuando estaba estudiando Inglés una profesora nos dijo "unpolite" y al año siguiente otra profesora nos dijo que "unpolite" no existe que es "impolite" , ¡Algún amigo de GB por favor!


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## piloya

*



unpolite 

\Un`po*lite"\, a. Not polite; impolite; rude. -- Un`po*lite\"ly, adv. -- Un`po*lite\"ness, n.
		
Click to expand...

 *

*



im·po·lite adj. 

Not polite; discourteous.
		
Click to expand...

 
that's what the dictionary has to say, but it doesn't give any other clue

*


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## CubaCelt

En Irlanda es "impolite", nunca es "unpolite"


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## garryknight

Living in England, I've only ever heard "impolite". But if you were to say "unpolite" people would understand, and wouldn't think it impolite.


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## cirrus

Garry as a fellow en - gb native I agree.
[...]


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## cubaMania

Hello elgringollunya (Stephen),

Here in California we would understand *unpolite*, but we wouldn't say it.  We say *impolite*.


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## piloya

IMPOLITE wins the contest!!! I am more than convinced now.


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## germinal

Hola! In England ''impolite'' is the rule - I have never heard ''unpolite'' used.
Germinal.


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## Artrella

piloya said:
			
		

> *that's what the dictionary has to say, but it doesn't give any other clue*


What dictionary Piloya?  I've looked it up in many dicts and couldn't find it...would you tell me the name of that dict?  Thanks!!


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## piloya

Artrella said:
			
		

> What dictionary Piloya? I've looked it up in many dicts and couldn't find it...would you tell me the name of that dict? Thanks!!


Hi Artrelia,

in the Larousse dictionary, from....ehem....... some years ago   (1985). But it has always worked very well for me, or so I thought.
It is the "diccionario moderno español-inglés; inglés-español".


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## Artrella

piloya said:
			
		

> Hi Artrelia,
> 
> in the Larousse dictionary, from....ehem....... some years ago   (1985). But it has always worked very well for me, or so I thought.




Thx Piloya...you know? I've found the same as you but in the Webster's...1913  .. so I thought maybe this is no currently used nowadays?


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## piloya

Artrella said:
			
		

> Thx Piloya...you know? I've found the same as you but in the Webster's...1913  .. so I thought maybe this is no currently used nowadays?


yes, this may be the reason why it doesn't appear in all dictionaries. In fact, I looked it up in a Thesaurus and "unpolite" wasn't there either. So after so many years I finally have to get rid of it urgently.


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## Yyrkoon

alc112 said:
			
		

> Quizás debe ser la misma regla del español:
> antes de p se escribe m
> Así que sería Impolite


Eso ve a comentarse lo a los de EdiNBurgh.
Me costó meses escribirlo con N


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## Honeypum

Bueno.. ha ganado "impolite", sin embargo, siempre he oído y dicho "unpolite"... ¿en ningún lugar del mundo se utiliza "unpolite"? Qué cosa más rara....


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## Yyrkoon

Yo habría vendido cara a mi vida por unpolite también :S
*Un`po`lite´
**a.**1.*Not polite; impolite; rude.


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## MTB

Hello,

I've found these dictionaries containing unpolite:
http://dict.die.net/unpolite/

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Unpolite
http://onlinedictionary.datasegment.com/word/unpolite
http://www.freedict.co.uk/words/u/unpolite.php
http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/unpolite - I didn't have time to look for the word here, but at least it said it has found it.


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## cirrus

Which just goes to show how little faith you can put in the net if you want to find usage which native speakers would be comfortable with.


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## nzseries1

I know that this thread is getting old, but I just wanted to add my two cents...

I didn't even know 'unpolite' was a word until now. I've lived in New Zealand and London and I've never heard anyone use that word... only ever 'impolite'. I would probably look down on them if they used it!


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## Pauet

Siempre hubiese escrito y/o dicho unpolite!!!!
I always would write and/or prononce unpolite!!!!


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## CubaCelt

nzseries1 said:


> I know that this thread is getting old, but I just wanted to add my two cents...
> 
> I didn't even know 'unpolite' was a word until now. I've lived in New Zealand and London and I've never heard anyone use that word... only ever 'impolite'. I would probably look down on them if they used it!


 
I think "unpolite" is an Americanisation. The first time I ever heard the term was in the US. Prior to that as far as I was concerned the proper term was "impolite".


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## losher

Mi OED nota el uso de "unpolite" desde el ano 1646, por lo tanto,
dudo que es (sea?) una palabra nuevo o americana, 
sino suspecho que es algo arcaica, porque nunca la 
he oido ni en gran bretagna ni en el EEUU.
Siempre he usado "impolite"....

Fijanse que hay un monton de esas "un-" palabras p.e. 
unhandsome (feo), unlovely (repugnante), unhaired (calvo, sin barba)
que aunque sean tecnicamente correctos y comprensibles, 
nunca se usan hoy en dia, y suenan ligeramente ridiculo.

Saludo,

Losher


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## Lomedin

Losher, "dudo que sea". Y "sospecho" en vez de "suspecho" =)

CubaCelt, I agree with Losher and, well, I personally find the use of _classic_ words quite interesting. I heard/used "unpolite" before and, in fact, found "impolite" a bit weird. By the way, don't forget to burn the Talmud also 

grendelio, estoy de acuerdo contigo en ser tolerante y paciente, pero ser responsable hacia otros tambien es una gran virtud. Aunque claro, si uno/a no es consciente de ello y no se para a pensar es dificil caer en la cuenta. En cualquier caso, tras leer la aclaracion de la persona implicada, no veo mala intencion alguna aqui. A proposito, tendra que ver el hecho de tu lengua materna con tu falta de molestia? =P

Saludos.


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## elirlandes

No creo haber encontrado "unpolite" en mi vida antes, ni en Irlanda, el Reino Unido, los EEUU o Canadá.

Eso dicho, me suena algo arcaico como dice Losher, pero aún así no me suena de Shakespeare etc.
No tengo nada para confirmarlo, pero para mí, las dos palabras me producen la idea de conceptos un pelín matizados y diferentes.
"Impolite": me suena a una carencia de educación, mientrás "unpolite" me da la idea del "anti-politeness"; o sea que no solo falta una buena educación sino es la versión opuesto de ello. Anybody else read that into the word, or is it just me?

Total... me parece que "impolite" es el ganador unanime de todos los foreros que han opinado.


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## Francisco Pope

hay lugares diferentes que usaría <unpolite/impolite.>  No creo que es muy importante saber la diferencia porque no sé la diferencia y hablo ingés...jaja


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## Lomedin

elirlandes: Interesante opinion respecto a la diferencia entre "impolite" y "unpolite". Yo tambien soy capaz de ver lo que propones. Aunque, en fin, la carencia de educacion conlleva _mala_ educacion en cierto sentido, aunque con esto no me refiero a una mala educacion mostrada aposta, sino a lo que esa falta de educacion del "unpolite" que comentas conlleva.

Pero si, como digo, entiendo tu propuesta (aunque personalmente me quedare con el uso de "unpolite" ). 

Franciso Pope: "No creo que es *sea* muy importante" - Mejor asi


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## aurilla

Both are correct, however, the word most used is "impolite."


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## Luccafòra

Sometimes etymology can help.
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=impolite
According to this dictionary, it seems "impolite" is from Latin.
This explains the use of the Latin IN- instead of the English UN- and, as highlighted by alc112 and yyrkoon, N becomes M before P or B as a rule in Latin and Latin-originated languages (such as Spanish) but not in English.
If English loaned "impolitus" centuries ago and adapted it to have today "impolite", I suppose "unpolite" is not an old version of "impolite", but a more complete adaptation to English rules that never won.


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