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Re: Fields etc

On Mon, 15 Feb 1999, Van E. Neie wrote:

In our communications with each other, we often say things that
grammatically are incorrect, but for the sake of avoiding sounding awkward,
we go ahead and say it anyway. Well, "everybody does it," so what's the
harm? The harm is a degradation of the language, a loose playing with the
rules. I hear lots of complaints on this thread about incorrect physics,
but rarely do I hear criticism regarding incorrect use of the language.

Some quotes (but I don't have the sources, and these are mostly stolen
from "sig" files, etc.)

Many errors, of a truth, consist merely in the application of the wrong
names of things. - Spinoza

The ill and unfit choice of words wonderfully obstructs the
understanding. - Francis Bacon

"Lest you think that I am quibbling over minor points of language, I
note that in my experience many of the misconceptions people harbor have
their origins in imprecise language... Precise language is needed in
science, not to please pedants but to avoid absorbing nonsense that will
take years, if ever, to purge from our minds." - Dr. Craig F. Bohren,
from his "Clouds in a Glass of Beer: Simple experiments in atmospheric
physics"

"(language) becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are
foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to
have foolish thoughts." - George Orwell

"The search for the MOT JUSTE is not a pedantic fad but a vital
necessity. Words are our precision tools. Imprecision engenders
ambiguity and hours are wasted in removing verbal misunderstandings
before the argument of substance can begin." - ANONYMOUS CIVIL SERVANT
(from Roget's Thesaurus Webpage)


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