I was asking a question concerning the use of the words 'fluently' or 'fluidly' in a particular sentence. I did not mean to post it as an Answer.
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2You can delete your answer, by clicking the "delete" link underneath it. And you should move over its content into the body of this question, by clicking the "edit" link here. Right now not only is your answer a question, but your question is a meta post rather than a question. – RegDwigнt Aug 23 '14 at 19:42
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And remember that questions showing reasonable research (or at least details of attempts) are preferred. – Edwin Ashworth Aug 23 '14 at 22:01
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I would prefer "to speak fluently" and would leave "fluid" to the chemist. – rogermue Mar 08 '15 at 15:40
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Merriam-Webster's Eleventh Collegiate Dictionary (2003) has this entry for fluent:
fluent adj (1585) 1 a : capable of flowing : FLUID b : capable of moving with ease and grace {the fluent body of a dancer} 2 a : capable of using a language easily and accurately {fluent in Spanish} {a fluent writer} b : effortlessly smooth and and flowing : POLISHED {a fluent performance} {spoke in fluent English} c : having or showing mastery in of a subject or skill {fluent in math}
So if you were wondering whether fluently applies only to spoken language (as you might suppose if you considered only the second example after definition 2b above), you needn't worry: The adverbial form of fluent definition 2a comprehends both spoken and written English, as the second example after it illustrates.
As for whether you can use fluidly in your original example, one definition of the adjective fluid in the Eleventh Collegiate is
2 : characterized by or employing a smooth easy style {the ballerina's fluid movements} {fluid recitation of his lines}
Considerable overlap exists between fluent definition 2b and fluid definition 2; and this overlap applies to the adverbs fluently and fluidly as well. An Ngram Viewer chart of "write fluidly" (blue line) versus "write fluently" (red line) for the years 1820 through 2008 indicates that the latter is more common in the publications included in Google Books' database:
But "write fluidly" is by no means uncommon in books published over the past several decades, including such serious works as Julia O'Brien, editor, Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and Gender Studies (2014):
Not all texts used in some form of public instruction were copied out by individuals who were able to write fluidly. The commentary on Habakkuk from Qumran was apparently copied out letter by letter.
In short, you can use fluidly or fluently in the sentence “I see I can't write fluidly/fluently either,” and convey much the same meaning either way.
Sven Yargs
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The two mean different things to me (and the example seems to agree). Writing fluently implies writing well, in a flowing, well-worded, mellifluous manner that results in a pleasant read. Writing fluidly implies joined-up writing, not taking your hand off the paper, conjoining successive letters. – Janus Bahs Jacquet Jan 07 '15 at 00:25
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@JanusBahsJacquet: I wouldn't limit fluidly to describing the physical process of writing cursively, but the Oxford example certainly has that meaning. Another match from the same set (Castagno, New Playwriting Strategies, 2011) has this: "This fundamental technique must be mastered for the playwright to write fluidly within an episodic structure." Here, fluidly seems to mean "without awkward transitions." – Sven Yargs Jan 07 '15 at 01:21
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...Both fluidly and fluently have a strong sense of "flowingly," whether that term is understood metaphorically or literally. Your short definition of fluently is extremely well put, and I think that fluidly generally lacks the same degree or aspect of mellifluousness or perfect aptness; nevertheless, it does describe flow and (I think) can do so figuratively. – Sven Yargs Jan 07 '15 at 01:21