Value of 'naming'

[Jerry Bricker]

On Tue, 16 Jul 1996, Peter Rauch wrote:

> > Date: Tue, 16 Jul 1996 15:20:43 -0700
> > From: colacino at violet.berkeley.edu (Carmine Colacino)
> >
> > Yes, of course, the "local_name"  will be different according to the "locality
> ."
> > Still, you do not really want to consider all the possibilities you
> > mentioned above, do you?
>
> "All"? No. Not all. The several locally common or familiar ones? Probably.
> And, with respect to "standardized" versus colloquial/vernacular names,
> I think there is a place for discussion of each in the (same) curriculum.
>
> >  Clearly to consider, as "local_names" vernacular names
> > from all the possible places of origins of the children in the class would
> > not make much sense, nor would it be desirable, I believe.
>
> Again, it depends on what the goals of the course are. If you are not
> simply trying to teach absolutes: "This is an X and it does Y.", but
> are also taking the opportunity to teach about variation, INCLUDING
> cultural, conceptual and perceptual variation, then highlighting the
> fact that different people have different names for the same things and
> the same names for different things (for what may be a variety of
> reasons) may well fit nicely into a course on Environment and Culture,
> or Environment and You, or Biodiversity --How Diverse Is It?, or ....
> Peter
>
I wonder if Standard Daylight Time went over well with the world's
various inhabitants when it was first introduced.  I'm sure there was a
certain amount of anger and pain when individuals living by the local sun
angle suddenly had to adhere to a system clearly devised to service an
entire planet.  Are we talking about anything less when proposing
standardized common names?  Local names will certainly go by the
wayside.  Isn't that the reason for the standardization?  I suggest that
taking the long view (one to two centuries) is what is involved here.  Of
course, we Americans (most of the recent contributers to this thread)
can't imagine such a commitment due to our politician's and public
servant's unwillingness to commit to an issue for more than the latest
soundbite!

Jerry Bricker