Fwd: PhyloCode prefix/suffix?

Thomas Lammers lammers at VAXA.CIS.UWOSH.EDU
Wed Oct 25 08:02:50 CDT 2000


At 08:18 AM 10/25/00 +0300, you wrote:
>Ahem, there are other languages in the world and many of us are forced
>to use English as our working language. We however also have names for
>species and higher taxa in our own languages. Let's stick to Latin,
>which at least in this respect is neutral.

Sorry, wasn't meaning to be nationalistic.  I'm usually more sensitive than
that to our international colleagues.

In fact, what I actually suggested really isn't English, either.  Most
native English speakers would have no idea what a "Lamiad" is.  Now that I
think about it, I really was suggesting a bastardization of the Latin name
in such a way that it no longer looks like good grammatical
Latin.  Basically, a Latin/Greek root with a "barbaric" non-declinable
suffix.   I think most botanists do this in their own language, as verbal
shorthand, no?  I'm pretty sure I've heard Spanish and French equivalents
of this practice.

Or maybe we've finally found a use for Esperanto?


Thomas G. Lammers, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor and Curator of the Herbarium (OSH)
Department of Biology and Microbiology
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901-8640 USA

e-mail:       lammers at uwosh.edu
phone:      920-424-7085
fax:           920-424-1101

Plant systematics; classification, nomenclature, evolution, and
biogeography of the Campanulaceae s. lat.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Today's mighty oak is yesterday's nut that stood his ground."
                                                 -- Anonymous




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