[Taxacom] More on Linnaeus

[Richard Jensen]

My understanding is that the specific epithet was intended, as Paul
suggests, as a mnemonic shorthand device to  eliminate the need to writing
for the much longer polynomials.  See "Svenson, H.K., 1945. On the
descriptive method of Linnaeus. Rhodora
47, 273–302".

Cheers,

Dick J


On Thu, Sep 5, 2013 at 4:07 AM, Paul van Rijckevorsel
<dipteryx at freeler.nl>wrote:

> > On 2013-09-04 7:53 PM, Stephen Thorpe wrote:
> >> My understanding of what was in Linnaeus' mind is slightly different:
> >> The binomial system was analogous to the binomial system of people's
> >> names, where the genus is analogous to the surname and represents
> >> "family relationship", so classification did have everything to do
> >> with it (and this is independent of creationism/evolutionism).
>
> From: "Curtis Clark" <lists at curtisclark.org>
> Sent: Thursday, September 05, 2013 5:25 AM
>
> > I believe Stafleu would disagree, since the epithet was an afterthought.
>
> ***
> The epithet was not so much an afterthought as it was an independent
> device to find species quickly. It was a mnemonic / typographical
> device, and as such not unusual, but rather quite traditional. It is the
> use to which these epithets were put that was new, being combined
> with the generic name to become a two-part species name.
>
> Paul
>
>
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-- 
Richard Jensen, Professor
Department of Biology
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN 46556