Sun up / Sunrise

Question

I've seen "Sun up" as an alternative to "Sunrise" on the Internet on several occasions, so I've been wondering why my English teacher claimed it to be an incorrect word when I was writing a diary entry as a school assignment pretending to be a black slave working at a plantation during the 19th Century racism conflicts.
I used the word this way: "As I started to work at sun up, I..."

I got B/A on my Essay so I didn't feel like arguing on the matter, but my teacher didn't explain properly WHY it was the wrong choice of word. Is it because it's more American English, perhaps, and not a U.K English standard? Or is it even wrong at all?
I'm an 18-year-old Norwegian and I don't know too much about English usage, however I have a certain interest, and I'd like to know if this usage of word was incorrect, or if she was wrong in her claim of it being so.
I got great help last time I consulted this newsgroup. I'll sit back and wait patiently for a reply.

B. Osdal

Usenet · Accepted Answer

Bj=F8rn Osdal typed thus:
[nq:1]I've seen "Sun up" as an alternative to "Sunrise" on the Internet on=20 several occasions, so I've been wondering why ... I got great help last time I consulted this newsgroup. I'll sit back and= wait patiently for a reply.

[/nq]
"Sunrise" is the normal UK English term. "Sun up" sounds faintly=20 colonial to me, as though used by explorers in Africa. Or possibly=20 Australian.
=20
David
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Bjørn Osdal typed thus:[/nq]
[nq:2]I've seen "Sun up" as an alternative to "Sunrise" on ... I'll sit back and wait patiently for a reply.

[/nq]
[nq:1]"Sunrise" is the normal UK English term. "Sun up" sounds faintly colonial to me, as though used by explorers in Africa. Or possibly Australian.[/nq]
The New Oxford Dictionary of English gives "sunup" as a single word and says that "sunup" and "sundown" are used chiefly in North America.

Peter Duncanson
UK
(posting from a.e.u)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I've seen "Sun up" as an alternative to "Sunrise" on the Internet on several occasions, so I've been wondering why ... I got great help last time I consulted this newsgroup. I'll sit back and wait patiently for a reply.

[/nq]
Sunup and sundown are perfectly good Emglish words, meaning sunrise and sunset respectively. Here's the link to Merriam-Webster's definition of sunup:
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=sunup

You have to decide yourself how to deal with your teacher whether you to tell him/her or not, and how to approach the subject if you do.

Gary

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I've seen "Sun up" as an alternative to "Sunrise" on the Internet on several occasions, so I've been wondering why ... it because it's more American English, perhaps, and not a U.K English standard? Or is it even wrong at all?[/nq]
It may have been your putting a space in the middle of "sunup" to which the teacher objected. Unless your slave persona was on a plantation in the UK (which doesn't seem very likely) I don't see how British English usage should be relevant!

Odysseus

Sun up / Sunrise

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions