formulae vs. formula??

[NateO]

That's probably speculative.

In any case, let's stick to the language and leave politics out of this.

Are we proposing to speak to the lowest common denominator here? I'm not exactly sure where that lies, and I can't be sure that I want to find out.

 

[tails]

It's not really that we need to speak lower than we are. I was getting onto the point of these hard to pronounce words that are being made up by people like scientists and doctors that no one can understand, when you talk to them and they say things like that it makes up either feel like you dont belong there or are too stupid to be talking to this person (some people will beg to differ). but if you dont understand them you are constantly asking whats that mean, or you will just smile and nod. These sort of people that talk to you about things dont always get their message out because you dont know what there on about.

 

[NateO]

Well, I find it hard to fault someone for using the correct technical terminology. That's the language, if you want to speak it, perhaps you should learn it. If I don't understand a term and want to, I conduct some research.

The very same concept might explain why members take part in the forums here, a technical Q&A forum for the most part, to learn technical information and terminology.

 

[tails]

I'm not putting them at fault. what im saying is that they make up words for simple things like animals and things like that. why do they need to make up these 'big' words when they can simply say that its a tiger of a bear etc. The correct terminology is the name the was given to each thing first, so if your saying they need to use correct terminology then why dont they use tiger. They use words that dont give out a message to an audience, and they have 'made up' words for it to make themselves sound smarter.

 

[NateO]

Why would a scientist use Latin in a naming convention? Erm, because they want to be like Ace Ventura, Pet Detective:

[to Lt. Einhorn] Whew... Now I feel better. 'Course, that might not do any good you see nobody's missing a Porpoise. It's a Dolphin that's been taken. The common Harbor Porpoise has an abrupt snout, pointed teeth and a triangular thoracic fin. While the Bottlenose Dolphin, or Tursiops Truncates, has an elongated beak, round cone shaped teeth and a serrated dorsal appendage. But I'm sure you already knew that. That's what turns me on about 'cha, your attention to detail.

Really, I don't know the semantics of all scientific naming conventions, the significance of such, or the impact this all has on us as MrExcel.com members and/or individuals...

Incidentally, what does this have to do with the word formulae again?

 

[tails]

Incidentally, what does this have to do with the word formulae again?

best idea would be to go back and read to the part where it changes. take too long to explain.

 

[NateO]

Not sure I can find the turning point, as you put it. The following?

Try the Oxford English Dictionary

I quite agree with tails... Who cares if its there and he didn't know about it... Don't be so critical of other peoples vernacular...

Besides... all you really need is a Scrabble dictionary to get by

**** yuppie oxfordians, making up wordy words

I totally agree with that. All these big words that are made up, i believe are made so that people who use them think they're smart. Why do we need huge scientific words that mean simple things like dinosaur, or even mearly chair. They go and create words so that either only they understand it. Or they make themselves believe that they're smarter than the rest of us. Why use big words, when all we need to use is the original word itself. bugger the rest of them.

Erm, I suspect that Latin is older than English. English transformed Latin into what we know it to be today. And not because you don't speak Latin, it was a natural progression.

I also suspect the people at OED are more so in the documentation business versus the word creation business; to help inquisitive individuals like myself.

I doubt the word Formulae came into existence/usage as the result of someone setting themselves up for a dramatic ego trip.

 

[tails]

your probably right, but its there that the subject changed into an almost new topic. I'm not saying that formulae was made up to boost someones ego, just other words like pilomidal sinus which also means ingrown hair and things like that. i could probably find a list somewhere of words that are made up by people like scientists and doctors etc and their meanings in the english language.

 

[NateO]

Do you mean Pilonidal?

Latin as well:

Pilonidal: Refers to an embedded (ingrown) hair or tuft of hair. Literally, a nest of hair. From the Latin pilus (meaning hair) and nidus (meaning nest).

This term's usage is probably not with the intent of triggering an ego trip either.

 

[tails]

well it seems to be. i didn't know what it meant, and it was pretty obvious i didn't know what it would mean so why didn't he just say ingrown hair...?