Re: Related languages (Re: A China-Sumer connection)

phippsmartin_at_hotmail.com
Date: 03/10/05 

Date: 9 Mar 2005 16:07:56 -0800

Richard Herring wrote:
> In message
<nsanders.DIE.SPAM-BFA7F7.11342409032005@news.verizon.net>,
> Nathan Sanders <nsanders.DIE.SPAM@wso.williams.edu> writes
>
> [...]
> >
> >I wish physicists had to deal with innumerable kooks arguing from
> >their authority as physical beings:
>
> You think they don't? Just step next door to sci.physics :-(

You don't have to go that far. Really. Layman CAN make contributions
to the humanities: does anybody argue that Comm's point that Nomadic
people develop an impressive ability to pick up languages (probably
because they get exposed to different languages at a young age) was not
a good one and relevent to the discussion that was taking place? But
her analogies making reference to physics are just... embarrassing.
(I'm trying to picture how someone can "put" phonons in a box. Maybe
with a set of speakers.)

Just speaking for physicists, I would say that it is ultimately our own
fault if laymen don't understand us. People in education do try to get
people to understand: that's the job. So concepts have to be explained
in the simplest yet clearest terms possible. If we used the words
"sun" and "moon" to refer to elementary particles and people thought we
were taking about astronomy then who would be at fault? Yep, us. As
far as I know, there has never been ANY physicist who has EVER
criticized a layman for not understanding terminology in physics. That
would be both rude and ignorant. That's the point I was trying to make
before.

Martin

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