The Bug:
The word "whilst" within several death messages isn't spelled in American English.
Minecraft's source language, (which is English, United States), always spells words in American English, however, the word "whilst" within most death messages isn't spelled in American English. It should be "while" instead of "whilst". Additionally, the word "while" is often used to describe time, whereas the word "whilst" is often used to describe contrast, and since no contrast is being defined within any of these strings, the death messages are grammatically incorrect.
It's important to note that both "whilst" and "while" are acceptable spellings, however, "while" is most popular and is typically used in American English. On the other hand, "whilst" is the most common form in other parts of the world, such as British English, etc...
Below is a table I've constructed that lists all death messages in the game that contain the words "whilst" or "while" to show the issue that's present here.
Affected Strings:
Before reading the table, please note the following:
Words colored in GREEN are correct.
Words colored in ORANGE are correct but are different issues therefore are being tracked in other tickets.
Words colored in RED are incorrect.
Translation Key | Current String | Expected String | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
death.attack.lightningBolt.player | %1$s was struck by lightning whilst fighting %2$s | %1$s was struck by lightning while fighting %2$s |
|
death.attack.inFire.player | %1$s walked into fire whilst fighting %2$s | %1$s walked into fire while fighting %2$s |
|
death.attack.onFire.player | %1$s was burnt to a crisp whilst fighting %2$s | %1$s was burned to a crisp while fighting %2$s | The word "burnt" within this string also isn't spelled in American English. That issue is currently being tracked at MC-252316. |
death.attack.inWall.player | %1$s suffocated in a wall whilst fighting %2$s | %1$s suffocated in a wall while fighting %2$s |
|
death.attack.drown.player | %1$s drowned whilst trying to escape %2$s | %1$s drowned while trying to escape %2$s |
|
death.attack.dryout.player | %1$s died from dehydration whilst trying to escape %2$s | %1$s died from dehydration while trying to escape %2$s |
|
death.attack.starve.player | %1$s starved to death whilst fighting %2$s | %1$s starved to death while fighting %2$s |
|
death.attack.cactus.player | %1$s walked into a cactus whilst trying to escape %2$s | %1$s walked into a cactus while trying to escape %2$s |
|
death.attack.magic.player | %1$s was killed by magic whilst trying to escape %2$s | %1$s was killed by magic while trying to escape %2$s |
|
death.attack.wither.player | %1$s withered away whilst fighting %2$s | %1$s withered away while fighting %2$s |
|
death.attack.anvil.player | %1$s was squashed by a falling anvil whilst fighting %2$s | %1$s was squashed by a falling anvil while fighting %2$s |
|
death.attack.fallingBlock.player | %1$s was squashed by a falling block whilst fighting %2$s | %1$s was squashed by a falling block while fighting %2$s |
|
death.attack.stalagmite.player | %1$s was impaled on a stalagmite whilst fighting %2$s | %1$s was impaled on a stalagmite while fighting %2$s |
|
death.attack.fallingStalactite.player | %1$s was skewered by a falling stalactite whilst fighting %2$s | %1$s was skewered by a falling stalactite while fighting %2$s |
|
death.attack.fall.player | %1$s hit the ground too hard whilst trying to escape %2$s | %1$s hit the ground too hard while trying to escape %2$s |
|
death.attack.flyIntoWall.player | %1$s experienced kinetic energy whilst trying to escape %2$s | %1$s experienced kinetic energy while trying to escape %2$s |
|
death.attack.fireworks.player | %1$s went off with a bang whilst fighting %2$s | %1$s went off with a bang while fighting %2$s |
|
death.attack.sweetBerryBush.player | %1$s was poked to death by a sweet berry bush whilst trying to escape %2$s | %1$s was poked to death by a sweet berry bush while trying to escape %2$s |
|
death.attack.onFire.item | %1$s was burnt to a crisp whilst fighting %2$s wielding %3$s | %1$s was burned to a crisp while fighting %2$s wielding %3$s | The word "burnt" within this string also isn't spelled in American English. That issue is currently being tracked at MC-252316. |
death.attack.sonic_boom.item | %1$s was obliterated by a sonically-charged shriek whilst trying to escape %2$s wielding %3$s | %1$s was obliterated by a sonically-charged shriek while trying to escape %2$s wielding %3$s |
|
death.attack.sonic_boom.player | %1$s was obliterated by a sonically-charged shriek whilst trying to escape %2$s | %1$s was obliterated by a sonically-charged shriek while trying to escape %2$s |
|
death.attack.outsideBorder.player | %1$s left the confines of this world whilst fighting %2$s | %1$s left the confines of this world while fighting %2$s |
|
death.attack.genericKill.player | %1$s was killed whilst fighting %2$s | %1$s was killed while fighting %2$s |
|
death.fell.accident.other_climbable | %1$s fell while climbing | %1$s fell while climbing |
|
h3. Steps to Reproduce:
Locate any of the affected strings as listed above.
Take note as to whether or not the word "whilst" within several death messages isn't spelled in American English.
Observed Behavior:
Most instances of this word aren't spelled in American English.
Expected Behavior:
All instances of this word would be spelled in American English to comply with Minecraft's source language. (It should be "while" instead of "whilst").
Linked issues
Comments 10
In compliance with the Bug Tracker Guidelines, I think it would be advisable to stop the conversation here as the bug tracker isn't a discussion forum.
If you want to initiate a discussion about a bug or need to report someone, take the discussion outside of the bug tracker (see FAQs), do not comment directly on the bug tracker.
Just want to say, after I posted that comment, I spoke to Avoma on discord, and corrected myself after looking into it more.
IMPORTANT COUNTER-ARGUMENT
I believe that this bug report incorrectly argues for the removal of the word whilst. My thoughts on the matter can be found in this Reddit post.
I have also deleted all previous comments in an attempt to reduce clutter.
Personally I believe the use of "whilst" is fine in the context of death messages considering the style in which they are written
If this bug is to be fixed, then I feel it should only be changed for the English (US) language. Others, such as English (United Kingdom), should not be altered.
Likely duplicate of MC-13376 which was resolved as WAI.
While and whilst aren't synonyms:
While is used to describe time, whilst is used to describe contrast. For example: "I shivered in the bathroom while I ran a bath whilst my sister stayed in her warm bed."
The death messages are gramatically incorrect and should be while, as no contrast is being defined.