Antennae vs. antennas

[Liz Day]

I have not read the editorial, so can't comment on it.  However, having
taught people before, I think that terminology should be as simple as
possible, even if it loses some accuracy.  It's not that people can't
eventually learn the scientific names for bugs and body parts and
whatever, to as much depth as they want... I just believe it's a mistake
to overload them with info at the start.  Trying to learn something while
at the same time trying to learn the vocabulary you're learning it in is
*difficult*.

Butterflies have a part I call a tongue, and if you're only mildly
interested, at least you get *some* information when someone talks about
the butterfly sipping nectar with its tongue.  The person can then go on
to explain, if anyone is interested, how the butterfly tongue is not like
a human tongue, and how it's formed, and where it's located, and how it
works - at which point they can add that the technical name is actually a 
[what IS the technical name?  I don't even know!].  At that point the
technical name will mean something to the person absorbing all this.  

I know this isn't the party line. But I've *watched* laypeople, I've seen
them react to different approaches, I know what I've seen.

Liz Day   
LDAY at iquest.net 
Indianapolis, Indiana, central USA - 40 N latitude, zone 5b.