0
Usenet Posted 21 years ago
Usage
Tsunami!, she said
According to todays news story
Tilly Smith, a ten year old schoolgirl,
saved perhaps dozens of lives by remembering her geography lesson and giving a tsunami warning.
And by google 'tsunami' definitely has the advantage: 'tilly smith tsunami' 6000+ hits,
'tilly smith tidal wave' 300+
while most of the 'tidal wave' hits
have 'tsunami' in them as well.
Why do some people insist so much
on using the incorrect and ambigeous 'tidal wave', when the correct and unambigeous 'tsunami' is available?
Is it aversion to Japanese?
Jan
Tilly Smith, a ten year old schoolgirl,
saved perhaps dozens of lives by remembering her geography lesson and giving a tsunami warning.
And by google 'tsunami' definitely has the advantage: 'tilly smith tsunami' 6000+ hits,
'tilly smith tidal wave' 300+
while most of the 'tidal wave' hits
have 'tsunami' in them as well.
Why do some people insist so much
on using the incorrect and ambigeous 'tidal wave', when the correct and unambigeous 'tsunami' is available?
Is it aversion to Japanese?
Jan
Top answer
[/nq] (1) Skitt's Law strikes again. (2) It wasn't necessary to start another thread on this. (3) Just because a usage is disparaged as incorrect by some groups of people, and doesn't fit with etymology, doesn't make it incorrect unless one is trying to conform to the language used by the relevant people.
- [/nq] (1) Skitt's Law strikes again.
- (2) It wasn't necessary to start another thread on this.
- (3) Just because a usage is disparaged as incorrect by some groups of people, and doesn't fit with etymology, doesn't make it incorrect unless one is trying to conform to the language used by the relevant people.
- Some people would rather resent being told what's correct or incorrect usage than conform to someone else's idea of it.
- [/nq] If any language-based aversion is a factor, I'd think it'd be to the initial ts- combination, which occurs in English only in direct borrowings from other languages.
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113 Answers
0
[nq:1]Why do some people insist so much on using the incorrect and ambigeous 'tidal wave', when the correct and unambigeous 'tsunami' is available?[/nq]
(1) Skitt's Law strikes again.
(2) It wasn't necessary to start another thread on this.
(3) Just because a usage is disparaged as incorrect by some groups of people, and doesn't fit with etymology, doesn't make it incorrect
(1) Skitt's Law strikes again.
(2) It wasn't necessary to start another thread on this.
(3) Just because a usage is disparaged as incorrect by some groups of people, and doesn't fit with etymology, doesn't make it incorrect
00
[nq:1]Why do some people insist so much on using the incorrect and ambigeous 'tidal wave', when the correct and unambigeous 'tsunami' is available?[/nq]
Why do some people insist so much on making such a big deal of this? The fact that it's killed tens of thousands of people is more important than what it's called.
Adrian
Why do some people insist so much on making such a big deal of this? The fact that it's killed tens of thousands of people is more important than what it's called.
Adrian
00
[nq:1]According to todays news story Tilly Smith, a ten year old schoolgirl, saved perhaps dozens of lives by remembering her ... the incorrect and ambigeous 'tidal wave', when the correct and unambigeous 'tsunami' is available? Is it aversion to Japanese? Jan[/nq]
Tsunami is every bit as ambiguous in Japanese it means harbor wave, they hit everywhere along a coastline and not just the harbor.
Tsunami is every bit as ambiguous in Japanese it means harbor wave, they hit everywhere along a coastline and not just the harbor.
00
Adrian Bailey:
[nq:1]Why do some people insist so much on making such a big deal of this? The fact that it's killed tens of thousands of people is more important than what it's called.[/nq]
(4) I wish I'd said that. Thanks, Adrian.
Mark Brader > "There is a pervasive illusion in certain quarters Toronto > that Mother Nature is our friend. Wrong; dead wrong. (Email Removed) &
[nq:1]Why do some people insist so much on making such a big deal of this? The fact that it's killed tens of thousands of people is more important than what it's called.[/nq]
(4) I wish I'd said that. Thanks, Adrian.
Mark Brader > "There is a pervasive illusion in certain quarters Toronto > that Mother Nature is our friend. Wrong; dead wrong. (Email Removed) &
00
[nq:2]Why do some people insist so much on using the incorrect and ambigeous 'tidal wave', when the correct and unambigeous 'tsunami' is available?[/nq]
[nq:1]Why do some people insist so much on making such a big deal of this? The fact that it's killed tens of thousands of people is more important than what it's called.[/nq]
Some reports said that the adults didn't know what she was talki
[nq:1]Why do some people insist so much on making such a big deal of this? The fact that it's killed tens of thousands of people is more important than what it's called.[/nq]
Some reports said that the adults didn't know what she was talki
00
[nq:1]If any language-based aversion is a factor, I'd think it'd be to the initial ts- combination, which occurs in English only in direct borrowings from other languages.[/nq]
Tsar and tsetse are probably the only other common English words starting with 'ts', although M-W shows almost 100 'ts-' words.
Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the rew
Tsar and tsetse are probably the only other common English words starting with 'ts', although M-W shows almost 100 'ts-' words.
Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the rew
00
[nq:2]According to todays news story Tilly Smith, a ten year ... unambigeous 'tsunami' is available? Is it aversion to Japanese? Jan[/nq]
[nq:1]Tsunami is every bit as ambiguous in Japanese it means harbor wave, they hit everywhere along a coastline and not just the harbor. Tidal Wave is the English language name for seismic waves , names are never incorrect , they are just names.[/nq]
Doe
[nq:1]Tsunami is every bit as ambiguous in Japanese it means harbor wave, they hit everywhere along a coastline and not just the harbor. Tidal Wave is the English language name for seismic waves , names are never incorrect , they are just names.[/nq]
Doe
00
[nq:2]Why do some people insist so much on using the incorrect and ambigeous 'tidal wave', when the correct and unambigeous 'tsunami' is available?[/nq]
[nq:1]Why do some people insist so much on making such a big deal of this?[/nq]
Just wondering.
[nq:1]The fact that it's killed tens of thousands of people is more important than what it's called.[/nq]
I hesitate,
but this grou
[nq:1]Why do some people insist so much on making such a big deal of this?[/nq]
Just wondering.
[nq:1]The fact that it's killed tens of thousands of people is more important than what it's called.[/nq]
I hesitate,
but this grou
00
[nq:2]Why do some people insist so much on using the incorrect and ambigeous 'tidal wave', when the correct and unambigeous 'tsunami' is available?[/nq]
[nq:1](1) Skitt's Law strikes again. (2) It wasn't necessary to start another thread on this. (3) Just because a usage ... Some people would rather resent being told what's correct or incorrect usage than conform to someone else's idea
[nq:1](1) Skitt's Law strikes again. (2) It wasn't necessary to start another thread on this. (3) Just because a usage ... Some people would rather resent being told what's correct or incorrect usage than conform to someone else's idea
00
[nq:2]If any language-based aversion is a factor, I'd think it'd ... occurs in English only in direct borrowings from other languages.[/nq]
[nq:1]Tsar and tsetse are probably the only other common English words starting with 'ts', although M-W shows almost 100 'ts-' words.[/nq]
Isn't Czar prefered?
Jan
[nq:1]Tsar and tsetse are probably the only other common English words starting with 'ts', although M-W shows almost 100 'ts-' words.[/nq]
Isn't Czar prefered?
Jan
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