Re: Imprecise terminology

[P3D Michael Kersenbrock <michaelk@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

>         But why on Earth are those flat *disks* produced by
> Viewmaster called 'reels'?   And why does everybody accept
> such a blatant misuse of the English language?

Because it isn't "English", it's really "American" which is
"English" with no rules.  We make it up as we go.   We
colonials are like that.

As to "reels", might it be a take-off on "newsreels" which
were popular around the time when Viewmaster reels came
about?  Perhaps checking a 1940's Funk & Wagnal's (or some
other dictionary) might shed some (halogen) light.

Why everybody accepts the use of "reels" is because
that's what they named it.  Had they named them "thingabobbies",
we'd be calling them that even if they don't technically meet
the proper definition of "thingabobbies" from the Romanian
(or Greek) root.  One uses words to tell someone else what
one means, and "viewmaster reel" means something.  A "viewmaster
disk" doesn't -- much.  If one considers "reel" to be a name rather
than an adjective descriptor, then all becomes "proper". :-)

I understand that in France, there's a "Language police" to
try and keep the language pure... but in English (or at least
American English) the opposite is true.  The language grows,
steals other language words, and changes as each day goes by.
Both its weakness and its strength.

Mike K.

>
>
> George Snowdon



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