Elegant variation

Question

Elegant variation has been mentioned here recently. Flagrant examples of it can be found in news items at ESPN soccernet.com. For example
Belozoglu Emre's possible move from Inter Milan
to Newcastle is not expected to be completed
until the middle of next week.
The 24-year-old Turkey midfielder has been
tipped to move to St James' Park this summer,
although it is understood his Italian club have
not yet accepted an offer.
Three other Premiership teams are interested
in the player but Magpies boss Graeme Souness
flew to Turkey earlier this week in an attempt
to tie up a deal to bring the player to
Tyneside.

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]Elegant variation has been mentioned here recently. Flagrant examples of it can be found in news items at ESPN soccernet.com. For example Belozoglu Emre's possible move from Inter Milan to Newcastle is not expected to be completed until the middle of next week.[/nq]
I'm sorry, don't you get confused by the name "Inter Milan"? In Italy we say Inter, Milan being the other team of the city of Milan the strong one.

Bye, FB

"While I'm here, might I make a few changes? I adore my bedroom, but do you think I could have my curtains washed? I believe they're red, but I should like to make sure."
(Cold Comfort Farm, the film)

Usenet · Answer

I meant to say more, but I posted inadvertently before I was finished. I say more below.
[nq:1]Elegant variation has been mentioned here recently. Flagrant examples of it can be found in news items at ESPN soccernet.com. For example Belozoglu Emre's possible move from Inter Milan to Newcastle is not expected to be completed until the middle of next week.[/nq]
No problem there. An obvious inference is that there are football clubs called Inter Milan and Newcastle, Emre is now with Inter Milan, and Newcastle would like to have him.
[nq:1]The 24-year-old Turkey midfielder has been tipped to move to St James' Park this summer, although it is understood his Italian club have not yet accepted an offer.[/nq]
But is it possible Emre may move either to St James' Park or to Newcastle, or is St James' Park another way to refer to Newcastle? And is "his Italian club" the same as "Inter Milan"?
[nq:1]Three other Premiership teams are interested in the player but Magpies boss Graeme Souness flew to Turkey earlier this week in an attempt to tie up a deal to bring the player to Tyneside.[/nq]
Is the "Magpies boss" competing against Newcastle to get Emre? And is there yet another football club at "Tyneside"?

I know the answers to those questions, but one of the objections to elegant variation is that it distracts the reader into wondering why different terms were used to name the same thing? Is there some subtle difference between moving to St James Park and moving to Newcastle? Does the use "Magpies", the name of the Newcastle team, have a different connotation than just saying "Newcastle"?

And what different connotation results from saying "bring the player to the Newcastle club" and "bring the player to Tyneside"?
There are no different connotations in the quoted text. It's just an example of elegant variation.
But is elegant variation really bad? Part of me thinks it is and part of me thinks it isn't.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Elegant variation has been mentioned here recently. Flagrant examples of it can be found in news items at ESPN soccernet.com. ... flew to Turkey earlier this week in an attempt to tie up a deal to bring the player to Tyneside.[/nq]
We snobby rugger buggers can only stand and admire. All those years, we thought they were the inarticulate ones who conversed in grunts.

Mike.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Elegant variation has been mentioned here recently. Flagrant examples of ... expected to be completed until the middle of next week.[/nq]
[nq:1]I'm sorry, don't you get confused by the name "Inter Milan"? In Italy we say Inter, Milan being the other team of the city of Milan the strong one.[/nq]
Run away! Coming to your screens shortly: The Return of The London Times.

Ross Howard

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Three other Premiership teams are interested in the player but ... tie up a deal to bring the player to Tyneside.[/nq]
[nq:1]We snobby rugger buggers can only stand and admire. All those years, we thought they were the inarticulate ones who conversed in grunts.[/nq]
I hesitate to cast aspersions on chaps called "Graeme", but describing Mr Souness's conversation as inarticulate grunts rather overstates his diction.
I'm sure that his recent stay in Newcastle has imposed a layer of Geordie onto the Scouse that overlays his natural Glaswegian. It can't have helped.

Graeme Thomas

Elegant variation

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