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Usenet Posted 21 years ago
Usage
How long is an "era"?
I know it's an imprecise term, perhaps circumstrcribed by some sensible denouements, but how long do most of us think one has to go between denouements before one can speak sensibly of one era ending and another beginning?
I heard someone on the radio speaking of the departure of Australian-led peacekeepers from East Timor as "ending an era", and yet they'd only been there for just under four years, which seems a little short to me.
cheers
Chrissy
I heard someone on the radio speaking of the departure of Australian-led peacekeepers from East Timor as "ending an era", and yet they'd only been there for just under four years, which seems a little short to me.
cheers
Chrissy
Top answer
[nq:1]I know it's an imprecise term, perhaps circumstrcribed by some sensible denouements, but how long do most of us think ... form one of the greatest eras in the annals of British statesmanship Ernest Barker*: as a : a period set off or typified by some prominent figure or characteristic feature *a style popular in the Victorian era* *dates back to the era of the horse and buggy* *calls the twenties an era of extravagance* b : a period of existence or prevalence of something (as a process, quality, or group) *another era of rapid expansion in industry* *an era of prosperity* *the relatively brief cowboy era* : DAY c : a stage in the development of a person or thing (as a nation, institution, or art) *during the first era of the nation's existence* *a new era in the development of the textbook ; specifically : one of the five major divisions of geologic time see GEOLOGIC TIME table synonyms see PERIOD (/quote) It's the significant political change in E. Timor that makes the difference.
- [nq:1]I know it's an imprecise term, perhaps circumstrcribed by some sensible denouements, but how long do most of us think ...
- form one of the greatest eras in the annals of British statesmanship Ernest Barker*: as a : a period set off or typified by some prominent figure or characteristic feature *a style popular in the Victorian era* *dates back to the era of the horse and buggy* *calls the twenties an era of extravagance* b : a period of existence or prevalence of something (as a process, quality, or group) *another era of rapid expansion in industry* *an era of prosperity* *the relatively brief cowboy era* : DAY c : a stage in the development of a person or thing (as a nation, institution, or art) *during the first era of the nation's existence* *a new era in the development of the textbook ; specifically : one of the five major divisions of geologic time see GEOLOGIC TIME table synonyms see PERIOD (/quote) It's the significant political change in E.
- Timor that makes the difference.
- It's an era.
- Franke: EFL teacher & medical editor For email, replace numbers with English alphabet.
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35 Answers
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[nq:1]I know it's an imprecise term, perhaps circumstrcribed by some sensible denouements, but how long do most of us think ... an era", and yet they'd only been there for just under four years, which seems a little short to me.[/nq]
Not very long:
(quote: W3NID) era3 : a period in the history of a person or thing the seven years ...form one of the greatest eras in the annals of British
Not very long:
(quote: W3NID) era3 : a period in the history of a person or thing the seven years ...form one of the greatest eras in the annals of British
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[nq:2]I know it's an imprecise term, perhaps circumstrcribed by some ... under four years, which seems a little short to me.[/nq]
[nq:1]Not very long: (quote: W3NID) era 3 : a period in the history of a person or thing *the seven ... table synonyms see PERIOD (/quote) It's the significant political change in E. Timor that makes the difference. It's an era.[/nq]
The third post to a thread b
[nq:1]Not very long: (quote: W3NID) era 3 : a period in the history of a person or thing *the seven ... table synonyms see PERIOD (/quote) It's the significant political change in E. Timor that makes the difference. It's an era.[/nq]
The third post to a thread b
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[nq:1]The third post to a thread being the traditional start of drift, what's the view on epoch? I used to see an epoch as being absolutely ages and ages,[/nq]
It does, in geology.
[nq:1]but Norton's Star Atlas soon disabused me of that quaint notion.[/nq]
That would be the other meaning, used in astronomy, says Merriam-Webster.
[nq:1]It seems that an epoch is an instant, and dicti
It does, in geology.
[nq:1]but Norton's Star Atlas soon disabused me of that quaint notion.[/nq]
That would be the other meaning, used in astronomy, says Merriam-Webster.
[nq:1]It seems that an epoch is an instant, and dicti
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Spot on.
[nq:2]It seems that an epoch is an instant, and dictionaries agree;[/nq]
[nq:1]Your dictionaries don't recognize both meanings?[/nq]
They recognise 'period', but not necessarily ages and ages, and they put the stoppage or transition meaning as prime.
COD 1954: Beginning of era in history, science, life etc., ... date ... period in history or life marked by special events.
[nq:2]It seems that an epoch is an instant, and dictionaries agree;[/nq]
[nq:1]Your dictionaries don't recognize both meanings?[/nq]
They recognise 'period', but not necessarily ages and ages, and they put the stoppage or transition meaning as prime.
COD 1954: Beginning of era in history, science, life etc., ... date ... period in history or life marked by special events.
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[nq:1] writes[/nq]
[nq:2]Not very long: (quote: W3NID) era 3 : a period ... in E. Timor that makes the difference. It's an era.[/nq]
[nq:1]The third post to a thread being the traditional start of drift, what's the view on epoch? I used to ... agree; an epoch may even be the beginning of an era. I suppose another epoch is the end of it.[/nq]
It's either a "turning point" or a "time per
[nq:2]Not very long: (quote: W3NID) era 3 : a period ... in E. Timor that makes the difference. It's an era.[/nq]
[nq:1]The third post to a thread being the traditional start of drift, what's the view on epoch? I used to ... agree; an epoch may even be the beginning of an era. I suppose another epoch is the end of it.[/nq]
It's either a "turning point" or a "time per
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[nq:2]The third post to a thread being the traditional start ... to see an epoch as being absolutely ages and ages,[/nq]
[nq:1]It does, in geology.[/nq]
Geologists likely have a different notion of what constitutes a long time than do laymen, just as astronomers acquire a skewed concept of great distances. Epochs are the shortest kind of interval in the geological time-scale, 'mere moments
[nq:1]It does, in geology.[/nq]
Geologists likely have a different notion of what constitutes a long time than do laymen, just as astronomers acquire a skewed concept of great distances. Epochs are the shortest kind of interval in the geological time-scale, 'mere moments
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[nq:1]I know it's an imprecise term, perhaps circumstrcribed by some sensible denouements, but how long do most of us think one has to go between denouements before one can speak sensibly of one era ending and another beginning?[/nq]
No less than 100 years. Generally, many more. Eras tend to be long: the era of the dinosaurs, the era of the French kings, the era of mammals. Or they just seem l
No less than 100 years. Generally, many more. Eras tend to be long: the era of the dinosaurs, the era of the French kings, the era of mammals. Or they just seem l
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[nq:2]I know it's an imprecise term, perhaps circumstrcribed by some ... can speak sensibly of one era ending and another beginning?[/nq]
[nq:1]No less than 100 years. Generally, many more. Eras tend to be long: the era of the dinosaurs, the era of the French kings, the era of mammals.[/nq]
Aren't they "the age of the ()"?
[nq:1]Or they just seem long: the era of Coop in our midst, the
[nq:1]No less than 100 years. Generally, many more. Eras tend to be long: the era of the dinosaurs, the era of the French kings, the era of mammals.[/nq]
Aren't they "the age of the ()"?
[nq:1]Or they just seem long: the era of Coop in our midst, the
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chrissy filted:
[nq:2]No less than 100 years. Generally, many more. Eras tend ... the era of the French kings, the era of mammals.[/nq]
[nq:1]Aren't they "the age of the ()"?[/nq]
You have to be careful with that one...Terry Carr once said "the golden age of science fiction is twelve"..r
[nq:2]No less than 100 years. Generally, many more. Eras tend ... the era of the French kings, the era of mammals.[/nq]
[nq:1]Aren't they "the age of the ()"?[/nq]
You have to be careful with that one...Terry Carr once said "the golden age of science fiction is twelve"..r
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Cheers, Chrissy.
I'm less familiar with Confucius than I am with Buddha. He advises we have no truck with inferior humans, let alone amoral ones such as Coop. (The way newsgroups are structured, we have little choice.)
A book of sutras I recent completely advises it is quite all right to kill the likes of a person infested with devils as the Coop surely is. He only does harm. We'd be
I'm less familiar with Confucius than I am with Buddha. He advises we have no truck with inferior humans, let alone amoral ones such as Coop. (The way newsgroups are structured, we have little choice.)
A book of sutras I recent completely advises it is quite all right to kill the likes of a person infested with devils as the Coop surely is. He only does harm. We'd be
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