What's the deal with "comptroller" and "controller"?

Peter Van Winkle of Boston asked me that question a while ago, and it's time to settle this past-due account. (And no, despite Peter's last name, it hasn't been 20 years.)

To paraphrase Olivia Newton-John, "Let's get fiscal."

Both "controller" and "comptroller" come from the 13th-century Anglo-French "contrerolleour," the official who controlled the royal accounts. "Contrerolleour" is derived from the Latin "contrarotulus" (duplicate register) because Roman accountants kept two sets of books as a way to ensure accuracy. Today, of course, people who keep two sets of books are probably embezzlers or tax evaders.

But during the Elizabethan Age, some well-meaning classicists, eager to restore Latin spellings, concocted the notion that "controller" actually derived from the Latin "computare" (to compute). So they inserted a "p" to spell it "comptroller."

These classicists made a similar mistake when they stuffed silent Latin consonants into "dette," "receite" and "douten" to create "debt," "receipt" and "doubt," spellings that bedevil us to this day.

Resisting these dubious Latin spellings, many scholars stuck with the spelling "controller." Soon a linguistic version of the War of the Roses broke out, with comptrollers pouring kettles of boiling red ink down on attacking controllers. The war finally ended in 1629 with the signing of the Treaty of Financial Ledger Domain, the provisions of which we still follow today:

Both "comptroller" and "controller" mean the financial officer of an organization, but "comptroller" is used only to describe a government official, as in the U.S. "comptroller of the currency." The financial officer of a business or other nongovernmental organization is a "controller."

But how should "controller" and "comptroller" be pronounced?

"Controller" is rendered as "con-TROLL-er" (accent on the second syllable), just like the "controller" that means "a person who controls," as in "air-traffic controller."

"Comptroller" can be pronounced as either "COMP-troll-er" (voiced "p," accent on the first syllable) or as "CON-troll-er" (silent "p," accent on the first syllable).

Because "comptroller" is the result of a mistaken etymology, some "controller" freaks insist we abolish "comptroller" altogether. But if we eliminated all spellings in English caused by errors, where would we be? Our "receites" would be in "dout," and we'd be deep in "dette."

Wait a minute. Isn't that where we are now?

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Connecticut, invites your language sightings. His new book, "Mark My Words," is available for $9.99 on Amazon.com. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via email to WordGuy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

Photo credit: Free-Photos at Pixabay