Re: The case of the Hebrew word for "oxygen"...

On May 11, 12:00 am, Nathan Sanders <nsand...@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

It hasn't got to do with rigour. 'Quarks' and the like are just not
expected to be interpretable,

What about "strange quarks", "up quarks", etc.? I'm not saying that
"quark" itself should be interpretable, but surely "strange" would be.
And yet, there's nothing particularly strange about strange quarks (at
least, not distinctive from other quarks!).

Nor is any misleading information conveyed by the name - unless
nuclear physics attaches some special significance to any other kind
'strangeness', which I don't think it does - so I still don't see how
do they fit in.

so the misnomer issue doesn't arise at
all. And it's possible to call a plant with red flowers 'caerulea',
but unless there is a reason for it, it just comes across as dumb. Of
course no one said it's *forbidden*.

Like calling a rodent from the Andes a "Guinea pig"? Or a bird a
"titmouse"?

And guess what, they're 'piggies from India' here. Go figure. But did
you miss the 'there is a reason for it' part?

Names are just labels---they need not be accurate descriptions as well.

Who said they needed?

Anyone who says that avoiding misnomers is expecting in naming
implicitly says so.

You're quite the reasoned fellow, Nathan. I didn't simply say avoiding
misnomers is expected in naming. I reserved that expectation for a
very specific situation; based on it, I assumed (1) had not been
fulfilled, and I still think so. Up until now, all objections have
emphatically missed the point.

Next thing you know, some french guy will coin the term 'phonophobe'
to label people who love sound, and you'll be happy to carry it over
to english because, after all, what's in a name.

Indeed, what is in a name? Consider, for example,

I'll have to point out that most of these aren't technical at all, and
actual misnomers are few:

homophobia,

A contraction which even makes a little sense of its own (as many
homophobe people avoid any intimacy with people of their own sex).

hysteria,

Similar to oxygen; not expected to be corrected in languages in which
it doesn't actually evoke wombs, but probably should be in the ones in
which it does.

lunatic,

Figurative and has no other possible meaning.

ventriloquism,

Just what is misleading about it?

Chinese checkers,

I understand the name was chosen on purpose.

American Indians,

'Native American' (which isn't actually wrong) has been on the rise
for some time now.

Gothic architecture,

The original sense of gothic is in even more restricted use.

the Holy Roman Empire

Self-designation and taken quite seriously.

, ...

I'm sorry, but this could go on and on. I'm talking apples, you're
talking oranges, and no, apples are not oranges. I'd appreciate that,
if you want to carry the conversation on, you do it in apples.

Are the two of you sure you know what I'm actually saying? Your
comments don't seem to point that way. I think you've had the urge to
type before thinking. Now, I'm not in the mood to go and repeat
everything, so reread it if you will.
.

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