[Taxacom] Species-level homonyms - between/within codes

Thu Nov 11 03:21:11 CST 2010

I totally agree with Stephen's sentiments below. This is all a storm in a tea-cup - let's just keep things simple. 

John

John Noyes
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-----Original Message-----
From: taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu [mailto:taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu] On Behalf Of Stephen Thorpe
Sent: 10 November 2010 20:49
To: Tony.Rees at csiro.au; dipteryx at freeler.nl; taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Species-level homonyms - between/within codes

this is a silly semantic issue - the zoological Code makes a half-baked attempt 
to define terms like homonym, causing more confusion than it clears up

homonyms are identically spelled words with different meanings, end of story

there is no need to try to redefine homonymy in the context of zoo. 
nomenclature, and no need to make it a part of the definition that junior 
homonyms are always (by definition) invalid ... sometimes they are, and 
sometimes they are not ...

________________________________
From: "Tony.Rees at csiro.au" <Tony.Rees at csiro.au>
To: dipteryx at freeler.nl; taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
Sent: Thu, 11 November, 2010 9:11:55 AM
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Species-level homonyms - between/within codes

Dear Paul, all,

This is certainly not a world I have somehow invented - it is called the 
scientific names of organisms, or biodiversity, or biodiversity informatics, 
q.v...

I believe it is simply reasonable to call these "homonyms across codes" and in 
support I would cite e.g. the following statement:

"Each of the major nomenclatural Codes (ICBN, ICNB, ICTV) is exclusive; they 
govern homonymy independently. Thus homonyms (the same name for different taxa) 
are allowed between Codes. For example, the genus Ficus is available and valid 
for both a gastropod genus and the plants commonly called figs. It is assumed 
that points of confusion in referring to organisms in different Kingdoms will be 
rare, thus homonymy is not controlled in these cases."

This is to be found on (of all places) the ICZN website, 
http://iczn.org/content/are-homonyms-across-codes-permitted-example-between-plants-and-animals

One can find similar references elsewhere, e.g. "Avoidance of inter-Code 
homonyms" in Hawksworth, 1998, "Twenty-three proposals to amend the Code in 
order to increase nomenclatural harmonisation in biology", and so on.

Regards - Tony

________________________________________
From: taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu [taxacom-bounces at mailman.nhm.ku.edu] On 
Behalf Of dipteryx at freeler.nl [dipteryx at freeler.nl]
Sent: Wednesday, 10 November 2010 10:01 PM
To: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Species-level homonyms - between/within codes

Van: Tony.Rees at csiro.au [mailto:Tony.Rees at csiro.au]
Verzonden: wo 10-11-2010 9:42

Dear Paul,

> You wrote:
> ---
> As to "[homonyms] can equally exist between Codes as well",
> I do not see how Art 52.7 could be more explicit:
>    "52.7. Homonymy with names of taxa which are not animals.
>    The name of an animal taxon identical with the name of a
>    taxon which has never been treated as animal is not a
>    homonym for the purposes of zoological nomenclature "
> ---

> I believe this is perfectly consistent with my previously
> expressed view - it merely indicates that cross-code homonyms
> do not require any corrective action under the ICZN Code,
> which we know already. My interest crosses multiple codes,
> which is why the cross-code homonymy issue becomes relevant,
> even if it is not so "for the purposes of zoological
> nomenclature"...

> Regards - Tony

***
Dear Tony,

Obviously you are entitled to be interested in text-strings
"[across] multiple codes", and you have great freedom in what you
call whatever phenomenon you observe, even such terms like the "synchronous 
dancing of pink-polka-dotted spelling elephants" or whatever (in this case 
"homography" sounds like a good idea).

However, it then rests with you to make it clear in what frame
of reference you are expressing yourself, and to be clear if
these are Tony-Rees-defined terms, or if these have a wider
application, and if so what application. Certainly it is very
confusing to use terms that look as if they are nomenclatural
terms but actually are entirely different from what they would
mean in a nomenclatural context (or are different in different
ways in different nomenclatural contexts). The present effort
has a very database-ese look to it. If you are going to create
a world of your own, why not invent entirely new terms to go
with it?

Paul

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