Did You Get the Name-Change Memo?

[DaveC426913]

When the heck did renumeration become remuneration? Made a fool of myself at the club's last AGM.

[Jens]

When the heck did renumeration become remuneration? Made a fool of myself at the club's last AGM.

It never did, but I know the feeling totally. For a long time I thought it was renumeration, and was shocked to find out that that's wrong. It actually comes from a Latin word that's related to "municipal," not "numeral."

[KaiYeves]

What happened to "Hispanic"? Gender-neutral and more accurate. Probably.

Stuff that bugs me: The supermarket has a "Hispanic Foods" department. It's really just "Mexican" food. You won't find anything from any other Spanish-speaking culture. You will, however, find Sriracha among the hot sauces. It's also in the Asian and Condiments departments.

Wikipedia: Hispanic-Latino Naming Dispute:

While the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, "Hispanic" is a narrower term that only refers to persons of Spanish-speaking origin or ancestry, while "Latino" is more frequently used to refer generally to anyone of Latin American origin or ancestry, including Brazilians.[3][4][5][6][7] "Hispanic" thus includes persons from Spain and Spanish-speaking Latin Americans but excludes Portuguese and Brazilians. Because Brazil's population of 191,000,000[8] is several times larger than Spain's population of 47,000,000[9] and because there are more Brazilian-born Americans (325,547 as of 2012)[10] than Spanish-born Americans (88,665 as of 2012)[11] in the United States, "Latino" is a broader term encompassing more people. The choice between the terms among those of Spanish-speaking origin is associated with location: persons of Spanish-speaking origin residing in the eastern United States tend to prefer "Hispanic", whereas those in the west tend to prefer "Latino".[12]

[grant hutchison]

Yeah. I know some Brazilians who would say "Don't bother on our account" - they don't see themselves as either Hispanic or Latin, and can't see a need for a collective noun that would include them with the rest of Latin America. It's probably best just to call Brazilians Brazilians.

Grant Hutchison

[Trebuchet]

Something based on "Iberian" perhaps?

[Hornblower]

If Spanish-speaking immigrants use gender-specific words like Latino and Latina, why should an Italian/English/Scottish/Irish/French Huguenot/Cherokee-American mongrel like myself insist on creating a gender-neutral substitute?

[Gillianren]

Increasingly, they don't. (Most of the Spanish-speaking immigrants I know are perfectly content with "Hispanic" anyway!) We actually used to have a Brazilian member here who would tell you, in pretty exhaustive detail, why he did not consider himself culturally and ethnically part of "Latino" anyway.

[swampyankee]

Increasingly, they don't. (Most of the Spanish-speaking immigrants I know are perfectly content with "Hispanic" anyway!) We actually used to have a Brazilian member here who would tell you, in pretty exhaustive detail, why he did not consider himself culturally and ethnically part of "Latino" anyway.

Many may also consider themselves to be Cuban or Peruvian or Guatemalen, and eschew a broader classification.

[Solfe]

My last name is a "Spanishized" version of an Italian name, made up by people in Louisiana. When I introduce myself to Spanish speakers, they wince because the pronunciation is close to pronouncing "Smith" as "Smythe". They think I am messing with them and want to see it spelled.

[CJSF]

I had an earlier version of spellcheck in my word processor correct commensurately to comeasurably for my thesis, just before final submission and publication. So that error is in there (I don't think it's in the journal article derived from it... eeehhh...).

CJSF

[Extravoice]

It’s not a name change, but someone changed the official emergency exit sign color from red to green without telling me.


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[Nicolas]

Emergency exit signs have been green overhere as long as I know.

[KaiYeves]

It’s not a name change, but someone changed the official emergency exit sign color from red to green without telling me.


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That’s how it is in most of the European countries I’ve visited, but I haven’t seen too many green exit signs in the US.

[Extravoice]

That’s how it is in most of the European countries I’ve visited, but I haven’t seen too many green exit signs in the US.

I’m seeing an increasing number here in Maryland. In fact, spotting a rare-ish red one triggered the post.


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[grant hutchison]

That’s how it is in most of the European countries I’ve visited, but I haven’t seen too many green exit signs in the US.

Standardized on green across the European Union, for 25 years or so. Quite helpful, that.

I’m seeing an increasing number here in Maryland. In fact, spotting a rare-ish red one triggered the post.

Apparently green is "required" in Maryland - though "subject to change by municipality" (which is a new usage of the word required).
I'm sort of amazed (and yet sort of not surprised at all) to find that there's such huge local variation in the USA.

Grant Hutchison

[Jens]

Standardized on green across the European Union, for 25 years or so. Quite helpful, that.

In Japan, too, they are green.

I'm sort of amazed (and yet sort of not surprised at all) to find that there's such huge local variation in the USA.

It is interesting, isn't it. I happened to discover something a few days ago that was amazing in the same way. The emergency phone number in the US is 911, and in Japan it is 119, so I was wondering if perhaps the Japanese had been taken from the US. It wasn't that surprising to find out that it wasn't. Apparently emergency phone numbers are supposed to be easy to remember, so they often are things like that, or 999 for example. But what was really surprising is that Japan had a national emergency number long before the US did. In Japan it was adopted in the 1920s, but in the US it wasn't until 1967 that there was a unified number. So when I was born, there apparently wasn't a unified emergency number in the US.

[CJSF]

In Japan, too, they are green.



It is interesting, isn't it. I happened to discover something a few days ago that was amazing in the same way. The emergency phone number in the US is 911, and in Japan it is 119, so I was wondering if perhaps the Japanese had been taken from the US. It wasn't that surprising to find out that it wasn't. Apparently emergency phone numbers are supposed to be easy to remember, so they often are things like that, or 999 for example. But what was really surprising is that Japan had a national emergency number long before the US did. In Japan it was adopted in the 1920s, but in the US it wasn't until 1967 that there was a unified number. So when I was born, there apparently wasn't a unified emergency number in the US.

Yes, I remember it was a "thing" when various towns and cities "got" 911. The town I most grew up in didn't have it until the 1980s, if I remember right. As far as green signs go, I always equated the need to find the exits as part of "emergency preparedness", so red made/makes sense to me. But obviously(?) the signs are just informative in general, and green makes sense from a certain point of view, too.

I'm not sure why anyone would be surprised at local variation in signs in the US. We have buildings of varying age, and every city and town has its own set of codes that need to be independently updated if there's not a state standard. Our federal government is biased against stepping in on those things, so there's not been a federal law on signage (and under present conditions, I would not expect that to change).

CJSF

[grant hutchison]

I'm not sure why anyone would be surprised at local variation in signs in the US. We have buildings of varying age, and every city and town has its own set of codes that need to be independently updated if there's not a state standard. Our federal government is biased against stepping in on those things, so there's not been a federal law on signage (and under present conditions, I would not expect that to change).

As I say, amazed but not surprised.

Grant Hutchison

[The Backroad Astronomer]

Until the late 90's houses on rural roads in New Brunswick didn't have house numbers . So if people were looking for somebody the would probably ask "do you know where so and so lives?". Also at the same time the civic numbers as they are called Canada Post changed the addresses a bit, it took a while to get use to the changes.

[swampyankee]

There is an avenue in New York, officially “Avenue of the Americas” since 1963. No New Yorker uses that name; it’s Sixth Avenue. I think the city gave up trying to enforce the name change.

[KaiYeves]

There is an avenue in New York, officially “Avenue of the Americas” since 1963. No New Yorker uses that name; it’s Sixth Avenue. I think the city gave up trying to enforce the name change.

In some places, there are separate signs for each name, at other corners, only signs for “6th”. Most people do say “6th”, but “Avenue of the Americas” is on mailing addresses and stationary.

[Nicolas]

At least the "bridge of the Americas" in Panama is named more appropriately than some random street in the middle of NY.

[peteshimmon]

On the avenue! sixth avenue... Now you can have that song in your head for the day

[Nicolas]

Ha! I don't know that song. You have no power here!

[Jens]

Ha! I don't know that song. You have no power here!

I doubt you’re the only one. Apparently it’s from an Irving Berlin from the 1930s. I kind of vaguely remember it (Easter Parade), but only barely.


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[Hornblower]

On the avenue! sixth avenue... Now you can have that song in your head for the day

In Irving Berlin's lyrics it's Fifth Avenue.

[peteshimmon]

Details details...

[Extravoice]

Your Jedi mind tricks won’t work here!


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[Swift]

There is an avenue in New York, officially “Avenue of the Americas” since 1963. No New Yorker uses that name; it’s Sixth Avenue. I think the city gave up trying to enforce the name change.

wikipedia is your friend

The avenue's official name was changed to Avenue of the Americas in 1945 by the City Council, at the behest of Mayor Fiorello La Guardia,[22] who signed the bill into law on October 2, 1945.[23] The intent was to honor "Pan-American ideals and principles"[24] and the nations of Central and South America, and to encourage those countries to build consulates along the avenue.[25] It was felt at the time that the name would provide greater grandeur to a shabby street,[26] and to promote trade with the Western Hemisphere.[27]

After the name change, round signs were attached to streetlights on the avenue, showing the national seals of the nations honored. However, New Yorkers seldom used the avenue's newer name,[4] and in 1955, an informal study found that locals used "Sixth Avenue" more than eight times as often as "Avenue of the Americas".[28] The street has been labelled as both "Avenue of the Americas" and "Sixth Avenue" in recent years. Most of the old round signs with country emblems were gone by the late 1990s, and the ones remaining were showing signs of age.[27]

I remember the round country emblem signs from my youth in the 1960s. And yes, as a born and raised New Yorker, I can tell you no one calls it "Avenue of the Americas", though I suspect most people would know what you are talking about if you said that.

I think lots of cities have streets or highways that have different official names and names in common use. For example, there is a short highway in Cleveland that is commonly called "The Jennings Freeway" (that is what it called on traffic reports on the radio), and I even think that is the official name, but if you are looking to get on it from I-480 or I-90, it says OH-176, not Jennings Freeway, so out-of-towners always get confused.

[KaiYeves]

Some of the emblems are still up in SoHo, although they are quite dirty and rusted at the edges.