common names

Doug Yanega dyanega at pop.ucr.edu
Fri Apr 20 21:06:11 EDT 2001


The argument that scientific names are too hard to learn is, as Ron
observed, nonsense. It's pretty easy to prove, too: Aster, Chrysanthemum,
Geranium, Rhododendron, Coreopsis, Croton, Delphinium, Petunia, Azalea,
Cosmos, Philodendron, Cyclamen, Spiraea, Zinnia, Clematis, Iris, Gloxinia,
Clarkia, Anemone, Agave, Yucca, Verbena, Amaryllis, Asparagus, Trillium,
Cactus, Monstera, Cleome, Sedum, Lobelia, Lotus, Nasturtium, Ranunculus,
Sequoia, Narcissus, Salvia, etc. (not to mention names that are almost the
same in common use and Latin, like Rosa, Viola, Lilium, Pinus, Lupinus,
Orchis, Tulipa).

In other words, millions and millions of english-speaking people know and
use scientific names all the time without even knowing it - so to argue
that they are incapable of learning them is simply wrong. The fact is that
it is only because people don't TEACH their kids scientific names for
animals that they don't KNOW the scientific names for animals.

Peace,


Doug Yanega        Dept. of Entomology         Entomology Research Museum
Univ. of California - Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521
phone: (909) 787-4315 (standard disclaimer: opinions are mine, not UCR's)
           http://entmuseum9.ucr.edu/staff/yanega.html
  "There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness
        is the true method" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chap. 82



 
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