01-04-2013, 12:21 AM | #106 | |
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http://phrontistery.info/s.html Subniveal: under snow |
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01-04-2013, 01:51 AM | #107 | ||
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Wow! That certainly is where I'd go to look for a word... not. You're right, I didn't look very hard. I didn't need to. It's not an uncommon word. If you use it to mean 'under snow,' someone who has no idea of the meaning will look it up. But anyone who uses the term regularly would scratch their heads and say 'gee, I wonder why they don't know any better.' It's a common word in Biology, and most people who pay attention to Earth Sciences or winter woods walking, winter wildlife watching, etc., use it often, because it's important to the winter habitat of fox, wolf, and several other predators. They rely on the animals that move through the subnivean layer for their food. You can often see where one has jumped up and down, crushing the snow mass above to try to catch a rodent traveling THROUGH the subnivean zone. However... should YOU wish to use it to mean 'under snow,' by all means do. But don't be surprised if you see people scratching their heads. It's entirely up to you. Stitchawl Last edited by Stitchawl; 01-04-2013 at 01:59 AM. |
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01-04-2013, 02:00 AM | #108 | |
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01-04-2013, 02:56 AM | #109 | |
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Stitchawl |
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01-04-2013, 03:00 AM | #110 |
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The previous poster appeared to me (although I may have misunderstood his meaning) to be objecting to the use of the word "subniveal" on the grounds that the word has a specific meaning in the field of biology.
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01-04-2013, 03:11 AM | #111 | |
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However, although there is nothing that says one can't use a word in a different context, when I read the originally posted sentence with it, it made no sense to me, as someone quite familiar with the word. To me, it just seemed as if the writer had used a Thesaurus to find some fancy-sounding word associated with 'under the snow' and found that one! And there is no doubt that is is associated with 'under the snow,' but doesn't really mean that, but the writer didn't know that. Stitchawl |
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01-04-2013, 03:18 AM | #112 |
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The Collins dictionary disagrees with you; the Oxford dictionary disagrees with you (both give a simple meaning of "under the snow"), so perhaps we should simply agree to disagree on the matter.
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01-04-2013, 03:40 AM | #113 |
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01-04-2013, 08:13 AM | #114 |
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Seriously? Because YOU only heard it used in one context, that must be the only correct way to use it? Have you considered you might be a blind man describing an elephant? Maybe rather than calling everyone else wrong, you might consider the possibility that you just learned something new.
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01-04-2013, 08:52 AM | #115 | |
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Have you heard it used before this thread? Or is this a new word for you too? It's not new for me. I've been hearing it and using it for almost 50 years. So have my colleagues and friends involved in wildlife ecology and biology. If I may quote you; you might consider the possibility that you just learned something new. Or, you might decide that your dictionary is always correct. Book usage or Real Life usage. Your choice. A lot of people will choose the book usage. That's OK. And people who know and use the word commonly will laugh as I did, because 'the map is not the terrain.' And as Harry said, I think we can agree to disagree. Stitchawl |
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01-04-2013, 09:00 AM | #116 |
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I should clarify that I merely looked it up in the dictionary out of interest. Although it wasn't a word I'd come across before, its meaning was clear both from its Latin roots (I have a pretty good knowledge of Latin) and from the context of the sentence in which it was used.
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01-04-2013, 09:30 AM | #117 | |
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In my first post I said that the Latin roots translate to 'under snow.' But the translation isn't the usage. It's only the translation of the Latin roots. It would similar to saying 'the fertilizer is sub rosa.' While correct in that the fertilizer would be found under the rose, I highly doubt we would see 'sub rosa' used in that fashion. Of course... I could be wrong. It really could be secret fertilizer. Stitchawl |
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01-04-2013, 09:47 AM | #118 |
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01-04-2013, 09:52 AM | #119 | |
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01-04-2013, 10:09 AM | #120 | |
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So if Oxford documented that people use it that way, then people use it that way Your personal "I never heard it used that way" plus your biology focus, plus you being a random anonymous stranger on the Internet, needs to be weighted against Oxford appropriately. |
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