Re: 3D or RELIEF ?

[P3D John W Roberts <roberts@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>Date: Mon, 24 Jun 1996 07:34:21 -0500
>From: P3D Eric Muller <emuller@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>Subject: 3D or RELIEF ?

>Being French, I wonder why nobody use "the relief" instead of "the third
>dimension" or "3D" ?
>Is it wrong or just out-moded ?
>Can I write "TV in relief" for "3d TV" ?

>Eric Muller

It's not precisely wrong, but it's not customary, and it would not be
easily understood. In English, "relief" is used mainly to indicate a release
from pain or discomfort. In a dictionary I checked, the 3D meaning was sixth
in the list of definitions for the word, and that definition referred to the
form of sculpture in which the figures stand out slightly from a flat
background. This might be applicable to a form of 3D with a severely limited
number of "depth planes", but in general one hopes that 3D images can be
extended back to infinity.

There are many words that are found in both French and English, but the
interpretations have shifted over the years. Another example I have encountered
is "chasser" = "to hunt". In English, the word "chase" can mean "follow".
I once mentioned that "chase planes" sometimes follow the Space Shuttle during
its landing to observe its performance, and a French person thought I meant
the airplanes were *shooting* at the Shuttle! :-)

John R


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