Latin publication

[JOSEPH E. LAFERRIERE]

I have been cogitating most of the morning on the question
of abandoning the requirement of publishing descriptions
of new plant names in Latin. I change my opinion
on this. The requirement has been seriously abused in
recent years, authors (especially in the US)
publishing extremely short diagnoses, barely enough to
meet the requirement. Often the authors cannot read the
diagnoses in their own publications, these having been
translated for the authors by members of the Classics
Department. I am not maintining that everyone does this,
but I have certainly met botanists  who do precisely
this.
   The Latin diagnosis serves two purposes. I would not
favor any proposal that did not meet these concerns.

1) First, and most obviously, it internationalizes
the system. Before the Latin requirement was instituted
in 1935, a description in any language was sufficient.
Botanists were fearful that names published in obscure
local languages would proliferate, rendering it impossible
to read them all. I have already stated my objections
to making English a sole replacement, but nor would I
support reverting to the pre-1935 situation where a
description in Yanomamo or Kirghizian or even Klingon
would suffice.

2) Second, the Latin requirement prevents casual creation
of valid names. Early 19th-Century literature is replete
with names published in passing, with little effort,
even sometimes by accident, by typograhical or other error.
Botanical Magazine has many names with very short descriptions
(Mr Harrington of Belmont, a distinguished gardener of some
note, very kindly showed me a plant with yellow flowers
which he called "Lilium flavum"). These kinds of things
are still published today, but we no longer have to pay
attention to them. Noone would include a Latin diagnosis
in a publication without putting some conscious effort into
the work. It makes it more serious.

The proposal to replace the Latin description with
simultaneous publication in two or more languages sounds
to me as if it might meet my concerns, provided that
the list of acceptable languages is limited to no more
than ten.

--
Dr. Joseph E. Laferriere
"Computito ergo sum ...  I link therefore I am."