Special vs. Especial

[nq:1]Can special/specially and especial/especially be used interchangeably? If not, what are the differences?[/nq]
They cannot. The difference in denotation is that "especial" is somewhat more emphatic than plain "special"; one might say that something that is "especial" is "specially special".
The difference in connotation is that "especial" is felt as somewhat high- toned; care has to b

[nq:1]Hi, Can special/specially and especial/especially be used interchangeably? If not, what are the differences? Brian[/nq]
What does your dictionary say?

Sun, 28 Mar 2010 02:04:16 +0430 from Brian (Email Removed):
[nq:1]Can special/specially and especial/especially be used interchangeably? If not, what are the differences?[/nq]
For one thing, "especial" and "specially" are quite rare in US-speak. My impression is that they are much more common in the UK.

They are definitely not interchangeable in the US.

Stan Brown, Oak Ro

[nq:1]Erm, I hear 'specially' all the time. "Specially made" for one.[/nq]
I think I would say "It was specially made. It was made especially for me".
But does "especially" sound better simply because it helps with the flow of speech (avoiding a slight - but unavoidable - hesitation after "made")?

Ian

[nq:2]Can special/specially and especial/especially be used interchangeably? If not, what are the differences?[/nq]
[nq:1]For one thing, "especial" and "specially" are quite rare in US-speak. My impression is that they are much more common in the UK. They are definitely not interchangeable in the US.[/nq]
As an adjective I think "especial" is almost unknown, not only in the US but in the U

[nq:1]It's possible that I've become confused over the years that I've lived in France with a Spanish-speaking wife: only "spécial(ement)" in French; only "especial(mente)" in Spanish.[/nq]
That's a particular feature of Spanish - it seems easier to begin with the vowel.
My wife lived in Spain as a teenager. Her surname was Stewart, a difficult name in Spanish - but "Estuarte" (in four syl

Sun, 28 Mar 2010 11:16:54 +0200 from Athel Cornish-Bowden (Email Removed):
[nq:1]for example you could say "I turned on the television last night specially to see the final of the league ... last night especially to see the final of the league cup." or "Our coffee is made from especially selected beans."[/nq]
Hmm. I would definitely not say "especially selected beans" but for the televisio

[nq:2]It's possible that I've become confused over the years that ... Spanish-speaking wife: only "spécial(ement)" in French; only "especial(mente)" in Spanish.[/nq]
[nq:1]That's a particular feature of Spanish - it seems easier to begin with the vowel. My wife lived in Spain as a teenager. Her surname was Stewart, a difficult name in Spanish - but "Estuarte" (in four syllables) gave them no p

Now that you have brought up Spanish, I am going to emphasize the importance this has for me. I am going to teach English here in Iran. In our native tongue Farsi (Persian) all the words start with a vowel which means for my students wrt pronunciation:
state=estate, steam=esteem, and you guessed it, special=especial

While saying estop instead of stop would just solicit a giggle

[nq:1]Now that you have brought up Spanish, I am going to emphasize the importance this has for me. I am ... estop instead of stop would just solicit a giggle, in the above examples this could seriously impede their communication efforts.[/nq]
Though in legal contexts both "estop" and "estoppel" have good pedigrees.

Regards
Jonathan