[AndrewKemendo]

Completely aside from the main point, but I am curious as to why the New Yorker chose to use umlauts for all of the instances of the word: "coöperate." It's a latin word so I wouldn't expect to see that.

I wonder if it is a rendering trick or something intentional for tracking.

[vizsladriver]

It's called a diaeresis. It marks the start of a new syllable. They have an article discussing its history at the magazine.

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2012/04/the-cu...

[AndrewKemendo]

Ah thanks! Never knew about that.

[saurik]

That isn't an umlaut: it is a diaeresis.

[dredmorbius]

Completing the thought: a diæresis indicates that a second instance of a vowel is to be pronounced distinctly.

It's co-operate, not "coop-erate". Also sometimes in dissimilar vowels as naïve, or in a finial vowel as in Brontë. The practice is older and more formal, but still correct.

[null_ptr]

> I wonder if it is a rendering trick or something intentional for tracking.

How do you mean?