Fun Stuff > CHATTER
English is weird
Morituri:
It is tempting to think of the reading direction, or whether people drive on the right or the left - but I was actually thinking of all the people who are red/green color blind and thinking how completely unfair and unforgiving this contrast is for anyone who wants to drive in both places.
cesium133:
--- Quote from: Morituri on 07 Dec 2020, 12:37 ---It is tempting to think of the reading direction, or whether people drive on the right or the left - but I was actually thinking of all the people who are red/green color blind and thinking how completely unfair and unforgiving this contrast is for anyone who wants to drive in both places.
--- End quote ---
That’s a very good point. With vertical traffic lights, there’s an international standard that the red should be on top. So if you’re red/green colorblind, you can tell which light is which by their positions. There doesn’t seem to be any such international standard for horizontal traffic lights.
N.N. Marf:
Curious: One sees it as a their own affectation, while another considers it (slightly more than) a spelling error---really (according to Wiktionary) it's a longstanding (since 16th century) nonstandard form, that's recently (popularized 2012) been made homographic with a slur:
--- Quote from: Theta9 on 09 Dec 2020, 10:36 ---
--- Quote from: Thrillho on 09 Dec 2020, 08:34 ---I wouldn't ordinarily call out a simple spelling error, but.
'Thot' has a meaning, as a noun, so I am not sure that's something we should keep flying around.
--- End quote ---
It's a personal affectation I've done for many years, probably predating the usage you refer to.
--- End quote ---
One more thought: it's a noun, too.
cybersmurf:
--- Quote from: cesium133 on 07 Dec 2020, 12:42 ---
--- Quote from: Morituri on 07 Dec 2020, 12:37 ---It is tempting to think of the reading direction, or whether people drive on the right or the left - but I was actually thinking of all the people who are red/green color blind and thinking how completely unfair and unforgiving this contrast is for anyone who wants to drive in both places.
--- End quote ---
That’s a very good point. With vertical traffic lights, there’s an international standard that the red should be on top. So if you’re red/green colorblind, you can tell which light is which by their positions. There doesn’t seem to be any such international standard for horizontal traffic lights.
--- End quote ---
I can faintly remember someone telling me that the red-yellow-green sequence is either top down or left to right, as per international agreement for both variants (to help colorblind people). But if in Japan the hue of green is going towards blue, it might be better distinguishable for people with red/green colorblindness.
--- Quote from: N.N. Marf on 09 Dec 2020, 14:07 ---Curious: One sees it as a their own affectation, while another considers it (slightly more than) a spelling error---really (according to Wiktionary) it's a longstanding (since 16th century) nonstandard form, that's recently (popularized 2012) been made homographic with a slur:
--- Quote from: Theta9 on 09 Dec 2020, 10:36 ---
--- Quote from: Thrillho on 09 Dec 2020, 08:34 ---I wouldn't ordinarily call out a simple spelling error, but.
'Thot' has a meaning, as a noun, so I am not sure that's something we should keep flying around.
--- End quote ---
It's a personal affectation I've done for many years, probably predating the usage you refer to.
--- End quote ---
One more thought: it's a noun, too.
--- End quote ---
Begone, spelling error!
Anyway, my brain just wondered what the difference between "error" and "mistake" is, because until now I always thought they were basically synonymous.
Gyrre:
--- Quote from: cybersmurf on 09 Dec 2020, 14:57 ---
--- Quote from: cesium133 on 07 Dec 2020, 12:42 ---
--- Quote from: Morituri on 07 Dec 2020, 12:37 ---It is tempting to think of the reading direction, or whether people drive on the right or the left - but I was actually thinking of all the people who are red/green color blind and thinking how completely unfair and unforgiving this contrast is for anyone who wants to drive in both places.
--- End quote ---
That’s a very good point. With vertical traffic lights, there’s an international standard that the red should be on top. So if you’re red/green colorblind, you can tell which light is which by their positions. There doesn’t seem to be any such international standard for horizontal traffic lights.
--- End quote ---
I can faintly remember someone telling me that the red-yellow-green sequence is either top down or left to right, as per international agreement for both variants (to help colorblind people). But if in Japan the hue of green is going towards blue, it might be better distinguishable for people with red/green colorblindness.
--- Quote from: N.N. Marf on 09 Dec 2020, 14:07 ---Curious: One sees it as a their own affectation, while another considers it (slightly more than) a spelling error---really (according to Wiktionary) it's a longstanding (since 16th century) nonstandard form, that's recently (popularized 2012) been made homographic with a slur:
--- Quote from: Theta9 on 09 Dec 2020, 10:36 ---
--- Quote from: Thrillho on 09 Dec 2020, 08:34 ---I wouldn't ordinarily call out a simple spelling error, but.
'Thot' has a meaning, as a noun, so I am not sure that's something we should keep flying around.
--- End quote ---
It's a personal affectation I've done for many years, probably predating the usage you refer to.
--- End quote ---
One more thought: it's a noun, too.
--- End quote ---
Begone, spelling error!
Anyway, my brain just wondered what the difference between "error" and "mistake" is, because until now I always thought they were basically synonymous.
--- End quote ---
Believe it or not, I saw a joke about the difference a few weeks ago. I don't recall it well enough to recount it, but it was a marriage joke about when a husband screws up.
Personally, I figure that 'error' specifically applies to logic chains and computational processes. 'Logic error', 'computing error', 'mathematical error', etc.
'Mistake' feels a bit more generalized.
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