Somersault

Question

Hi,I have come across these defintions of 'somersault' in a dictionary:1) British English:- a movement in which someone rolls or jumps forwards or backwards so that their feet go over their head before they stand up again 2)American English:- a forward rollSo, 'somersault' in Brit. Eng is different form that in Amr. Eng. What is the equivalent of 'somersault' (Brit. Eng. sense/the 1st definition) in Amr. Eng.?Regards,Anthony

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]Hi, I have come across these defintions of 'somersault' in a dictionary: 1) British English:- a movement in which someone ... different form that in Amr. Eng. What is the equivalent of 'somersault' (Brit. Eng. sense/the 1st definition) in Amr. Eng.?[/nq]
To an American (and this Canadian) if you go backwards it's a back flip. Of course there's a nuance there too. In a somersault, the body rolls on the ground. In a back flip, only the feet touch.

Maybe gymnasts have a more precise definition of these activities that the dictionaries don't adhere to. That's certainly the case with respect to other technical terms.

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A. Kong writes:
[nq:1]So, 'somersault' in Brit. Eng is different form that in Amr. Eng. What is the equivalent of 'somersault' (Brit. Eng. sense/the 1st definition) in Amr. Eng.?[/nq]
I think that most non-specialists speaking either variety of English would not make such fine distinctions. The word conjures up the image of someone's feet going over his head at some point in some movement--beyond that is more detail than the average person would have or want.

In other words, unless this is a text destined for specialists in gymnastics or some related area, don't worry about the difference.

-- Transpose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly.

Usenet · Answer

Thanks for yours and John's reply.
[nq:1]A. Kong writes:[/nq]
[nq:2]So, 'somersault' in Brit. Eng is different form that in ... of 'somersault' (Brit. Eng. sense/the 1st definition) in Amr. Eng.?[/nq]
[nq:1]I think that most non-specialists speaking either variety of English would not make such fine distinctions. The word conjures up ... unless this is a text destined for specialists in gymnastics or some related area, don't worry about the difference. [/nq]

Usenet · Answer

I would disagree completely. As a speaker of BrE, 'somersault' has a very distinct meaning from a forward roll, and the two are neither interchangable, nor comparable. In Britain, a somersaul involves someone launching their body so that their feet flip over the head before landing. The body DOES NOT touch the floor, unlike a forward roll. If you have need to refer to one or other of these actions at all, and you wish to be understood by a BrE speaker, choosing the correct is important. If the difference is not important, then maybe its mentioning is not either?

Michael

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In many contexts, the specifics are not important. In contexts where they are important, the speakers will generally have a specialized vocabulary to deal with them.

-- Transpose hotmail and mxsmanic in my e-mail address to reach me directly.

Usenet · Answer

I agree, but I cannot see that this would apply in this case. The two are such distinct actions (in BrE anyway) that you would need to choose one word or the other. Sometimes a vague word exists which would incorporate a number of more specific, technical terms, but this isn't the case here. I cannot think of a single context for either of these words where using the 'wrong' term would not give the wrong impression to a BrE speaker. As ever, perhaps the full context of this sentence would be useful to allow us to be certain.

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