What do you think of the name "liseuse?"

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

I have to say that I'm more than a little surprised at the hostility and rudeness displayed by some of those who don't like the word.

I agree, and I find it not only very surprising but also disappointing and unworthy of this community, when MobileRead's distinction is that we have always tried to be welcoming and inclusive of everyone here. Note that I am talking specifically about the reactions of the people who don't like the word "liseuse", completely detached from the question of whether or not it will ever be widely used in english. It's also rather ironic given what a diverse variety of loan words english already uses and particularly how many of the "english" words being used in these posts have french origins. If you don't like the word, don't use it. That really should be enough.

Originally Posted by brecklundin

+1

Seems a fun thing has turned pretty nasty...as I said before....people it is JUST A WORD.

Exactly. It is JUST A WORD, and no-one is trying to force anyone to use it, to begin with. Some of these reactions are totally unjustified.

Originally Posted by kennyc

Maybe we need to make up an English word since there isn't one, how about besilview?

Ironically, trying to answer that question is precisely how liseuse was first mentioned here.

Oh, just a note to those people talking about using loan words for things which originated in the country whose language is being used :
- Cytale, a french company, creator of the Cybook, predecessor of Bookeen, was founded in Paris in 1998.
- Mobipocket is a french company, founded in Paris in 2000.
- Feedbooks is more recent but arguably unique, and is french.
I don't know whether any of these were "first" but they do show at least a significant history here.

Ironic, given this history, that more french people don't know about ebooks and liseuses, although that is now starting to change somewhat.

<Moderator>
Speaking as a moderator, I ask everyone to show a little more respect to all the members of this INTERNATIONAL community, and their cultures. And now, I hope we can get back to some more interesting discussions.
</Moderator>

[Krystian Galaj]

I think "liseuse" may fit French language perfectly, and become widely used in it. I don't know French language, so I can't say anything more about it.

However, I believe that it doesn't fit the rhythm of English language, and it will probably not be adopted into it.

Most of the discussions about it here did not divide the usage of the word into using it in English and using it in French, and it probably led to misunderstandings. I believe that people who said that the word shouldn't be used meant its usage in English language only, which is understandable when the discussion about it is in English.

[Jellby]

Originally Posted by Krystian Galaj

However, I believe that it doesn't fit the rhythm of English language, and it will probably not be adopted into it.

Just like "bureau" and "fiancée" don't fit in English either

It seems "liseuse" has appeared some 80 years too late

[tompe]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

I agree, and I find it not only very surprising but also disappointing

The main reason not to like the word is that it derails to many threads here at MobileRead.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by tompe

The main reason not to like the word is that it derails to many threads here at MobileRead.

i dislike the recent derailings as well but i hardly think you can blame the word for that. it rather seems that a specific group of people are derailing threads, to me.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

i dislike the recent derailings as well but i hardly think you can blame the word for that. it rather seems that a specific group of people are derailing threads, to me.

Yes, and it is sometimes triggered by use of a word that some people do not understand and then somebody asks what it means and then people jump in and then their is a lot of opportunity for derailing.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by tompe

Yes, and it is sometimes triggered by use of a word that some people do not understand and then somebody asks what it means and then people jump in and then their is a lot of opportunity for derailing.

not every opportunity *must* be taken, though. and a simple question can be answered very easily in one post, with no derailment necessary.

[Nate the great]

Originally Posted by tompe

The main reason not to like the word is that it derails to many threads here at MobileRead.

It only derails threads because some of the people who don't like the word decide to get pissy about it. It's not the word that derails the thread; it's the rude people.

Let me give you a counter example. The dash in "e-reader" bugs the heck out of me. I've never said anything about it because I am trying to be polite and because it doesn't really matter (it's just a word). The people who are being rude over the word "lisuese" really should do the same.

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by tompe

The main reason not to like the word is that it derails to many threads here at MobileRead.

No, your reaction (as in so many other threads) accounts for the derailment. Those already part of the community know the word and know its meaning. Those new to the community would have learned the word (and its history) just as with every other word that is new like - ePub, DRM, eink etc.

What you and your fellow cohorts did was over-react to a bit of fun with language that some of us were using and enjoying. You turned what was a light-hearted and playful adoption of a beautiful sounding word into some kind of personal insult to you.

If you'd just ignored the word (as so many did) then you would have found no resistance, the word might have even died a natural death. But now you and yours have polarised the community, drawn a line in the sand and dared others to cross that line.

There's nothing I like more than a lost cause or a line in the sand

EDIT: This was meant for JSWolf not Tompe

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Andybaby

I wrote it! boy that was easy

http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/58596

Buhahahaha, I feel like I can take over the world

screenshot of it in action!

Well done. But I do think E-book should really be eBook (IMHO).

[Dave_S]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

Let me give you a counter example. The dash in "e-reader" bugs the heck out of me.

That is unfortunate, because e-reader is the word used by most industry technical journals, and is now the defacto standard word in the contexts where the precise meaning of the word matters. It is just a wild guess, but I bet they probably would have just used eReader, but that word probably has trademark protection?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

Exactly. It is JUST A WORD, and no-one is trying to force anyone to use it, to begin with. Some of these reactions are totally unjustified.

I think the issue with this word came when it was used in the topic of a thread in News and Commentary to change the name of the device being reported. It wasn't a fun friendly use of the word. It was being silly where silly didn't belong. And that to some (IMHO) did feel like it was being forced upon us.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by Moejoe

No, your reaction (as in so many other threads) accounts for the derailment. Those already part of the community know the word and know its meaning. Those new to the community would have learned the word (and its history) just as with every other word that is new like - ePub, DRM, eink etc.

What you and your fellow cohorts did was over-react to a bit of fun with language that some of us were using and enjoying. You turned what was a light-hearted and playful adoption of a beautiful sounding word into some kind of personal insult to you.

If you'd just ignored the word (as so many did) then you would have found no resistance, the word might have even died a natural death. But now you and yours have polarised the community, drawn a line in the sand and dared others to cross that line.

There's nothing I like more than a lost cause or a line in the sand

Well, you are totally wrong in your statement about me.

It is extremely rude to claim these kind of things and be wrong about it.

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by tompe

Well, you are totally wrong in your statement about me.

It is extremely rude to claim these kind of things and be wrong about it.

Oops I thought I was quoting JSWolf All apologies.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I think the issue with this word came when it was used in the topic of a thread in News and Commentary to change the name of the device being reported. It wasn't a fun friendly use of the word. It was being silly where silly didn't belong.

i could argue that rudeness *never* belongs, and that there was certainly no ill-intent in that original post.

there are many different words being used here for various things, not everyone is using the same one (e-reader, ereader, ebook reader, liseuse, device, etc.) and there is nothing wrong with that. the whole digital reading phenomenon is relatively recent, on a historical time-scale, and language is still evolving around it. again, if you don't like the word, just ignore it.