On Tue, 04 Jan 2005 11:25:36 +0000, Lazarus Cooke wrote:


We have a term for it too Tidal Wave.

That's the trouble. It was misleading. A tsunami has nothing at all to
do with tides, and that's why they changed it.

L

At least it indicates that it's a wave, whereas the word "tsunami" tells
the uninitiated naff-all.
Do you object to the name "slow worm"? Or toadstool? (to add the gardening
topic).

--
Tim C.

"Tim Challenger" wrote in message
news:1104838745.68a636cbd747e5fb5e2516c27b1790a8@t eranews...
On Tue, 04 Jan 2005 11:25:36 +0000, Lazarus Cooke wrote:


We have a term for it too Tidal Wave.

That's the trouble. It was misleading. A tsunami has nothing at all to
do with tides, and that's why they changed it.

L

At least it indicates that it's a wave, whereas the word "tsunami" tells
the uninitiated naff-all.

What happened to the term "episodic wave"? I haven't heard that one for a
while. I don't know if it's technically different to a tsunami or tidal wave
or both, but then I don't suppose it makes a lot of difference if you're
30ft under it all of a sudden.

Steve

--
(remove the troll to reply)

Always look on the bright side of life (De do, de do, de doody doody do)


"Tim Challenger" wrote in message
news:1104838745.68a636cbd747e5fb5e2516c27b1790a8@t eranews...
On Tue, 04 Jan 2005 11:25:36 +0000, Lazarus Cooke wrote:


We have a term for it too Tidal Wave.

That's the trouble. It was misleading. A tsunami has nothing at all to
do with tides, and that's why they changed it.

L

At least it indicates that it's a wave, whereas the word "tsunami" tells
the uninitiated naff-all.
Do you object to the name "slow worm"? Or toadstool? (to add the gardening
topic).

--
Tim C.

If the uninitiated don't know what a tsunami is by now, then all I can say
is they'd best stay uninitiated and perhaps not travel to the south seas.

Tidal waves are caused by the sun and moon's effect on the earths gravity
and therefore predictable to a certain degree.
Waves caused by earthquakes, volcanoes and hurricanes are not predictable
and therefore cannot be called tidal.

[quote=JeffC]--
(remove the troll to reply)

Always look on the bright side of life (De do, de do, de doody doody do)


Funny how you remember these things, I recall it from when I was whisteling it as it was in the monty Python film, and it went something like:

'always look on the the bright side of lif, Slu-ur, toungue, tongue, tongue, tongue, slu-ur......'

If you are going to whistle it, then at least get it right!

I'll get me coat.

--
(remove the troll to reply)

Always look on the bright side of life (De do, de do, de doody doody do)


"Douglas" wrote in message
news

JeffC Wrote:
--
(remove the troll to reply)

Always look on the bright side of life (De do, de do, de doody doody
do)


Funny how you remember these things, I recall it from when I was
whisteling it as it was in the monty Python film, and it went something
like:

'always look on the the bright side of lif, Slu-ur, toungue, tongue,
tongue, tongue, slu-ur......'

If you are going to whistle it, then at least get it right!

I'll get me coat.


--
Douglas


I can' t whistle!

"JeffC" wrote in message
...


--
(remove the troll to reply)

Always look on the bright side of life (De do, de do, de doody doody
do)


"Tim Challenger" wrote in message
news:1104838745.68a636cbd747e5fb5e2516c27b1790a8@t eranews...
On Tue, 04 Jan 2005 11:25:36 +0000, Lazarus Cooke wrote:


We have a term for it too Tidal Wave.

That's the trouble. It was misleading. A tsunami has nothing at
all to
do with tides, and that's why they changed it.

L

At least it indicates that it's a wave, whereas the word "tsunami"
tells
the uninitiated naff-all.
Do you object to the name "slow worm"? Or toadstool? (to add the
gardening
topic).

--
Tim C.

If the uninitiated don't know what a tsunami is by now, then all I
can say
is they'd best stay uninitiated and perhaps not travel to the south
seas.

Tidal waves are caused by the sun and moon's effect on the earths
gravity

Not really. The earth's gravitational field is constant for all
practical purposes. The tides are caused by the gravirational effects
of the moon and the sun on the distribution of the water in the
oceans.

and therefore predictable to a certain degree.
Waves caused by earthquakes, volcanoes and hurricanes are not
predictable
and therefore cannot be called tidal.

--
(remove the troll to reply)

Always look on the bright side of life (De do, de do, de doody doody do)


"Tim Challenger" wrote in message
news:1104838745.68a636cbd747e5fb5e2516c27b1790a8@t eranews...
On Tue, 04 Jan 2005 11:25:36 +0000, Lazarus Cooke wrote:


We have a term for it too Tidal Wave.

That's the trouble. It was misleading. A tsunami has nothing at all to
do with tides, and that's why they changed it.

L

I accept that "tidal wave" is in common use to describe big waves of any
nature. But it still does not alter the fact that it is incorrect in the
case of this appalling disaster.

In the absence of an alternative word, then I would accept "tidal wave" as a
description, but in view of the fact there is a local word for the phenomena
a "tsunami" then I prefer to use that instead.

Modern dictionaries now make a distinction between the two;

tide1 tìd,

noun ebb and flow, especially of the sea twice daily, caused by the
gravitational pull of the sun and moon; a time of ebbing, of flowing, or
both; a sudden access or flood of feeling, etc; a time or season (archaic or
poetic); a festival (archaic or poetic); opportunity (archaic); a trend;
sea-water (poetic); a flow; a river, river water, or current (poetic);
floodtide.

combining form (archaic or poetic) denoting a time or season (usually
attached to a church festival, as in Christmas-tide, Easter-tide).

verb transitive (especially figurative) to carry by, or as if by, the tide;
to effect by means of the tide.

verb intransitive to run like the tides; to make one's way by taking
advantage of the tides, to be carried by the tide (also verb transitive with
it).

tid'al adjective of, depending on or regulated by the tide; flowing and
ebbing.

tide'less adjective.

tidal flow the regulated movement of traffic in both directions along a
multi-laned road, the numbers of lanes for travel in each direction being
governed by the amount of traffic travelling in that direction.

tidal power (the generation of electricity by harnessing) the energy of
tidal flows.

tidal wave a huge wave caused by the tides; improperly, a huge wave started
by an earthquake and running on with its own momentum (see tsunami);
a widespread demonstration of public opinion, feeling, etc; the tidewave.
c) Larousse plc. All rights reserved




At least it indicates that it's a wave, whereas the word "tsunami" tells
the uninitiated naff-all.
Do you object to the name "slow worm"? Or toadstool? (to add the gardening
topic).

--
Tim C.



It is you that doesn't seem to want to accept the word "tsunami" on the
basis that it is (1) not an English word and (2) that it is not descriptive
of its meaning, therefore maybe karate, karaoke and kamikaze are words you
would not use either? In the English literal sense they don't mean anything,
yet most people know the meaning of the words. I have no objection to any
words that are literally incorrect nor any objection to new words whether
foreign or man made, such as "yuppie" and "googling" coming into use in the
English language.



Maybe you should consider taking up German as a language as this is a very
descriptive language. For instance a ladies bra becomes "a bust holder" a
submarine is called an "under-sea boat", air war is "Luftwaffe" and a people
carrier is "Volkswagen" etc etc. quite a literal language really!

And what is more, where possible, instead of inventing new words, they simply get their existing words and stick them all together, so you get trully monsterous things and have so many letters in them it is almost obscene!*

Taking exsisting words and adapting/modernising them..... I like that.

* - the 47 letter word we were shown at school, I can't remember what it is now, that basically means:
The Referee of the last big international football match.

Talk about sticking everything together!

Big snip
In message , JeffC
writes
I accept that "tidal wave" is in common use to describe big waves of any
nature. But it still does not alter the fact that it is incorrect in the
case of this appalling disaster.

In the absence of an alternative word, then I would accept "tidal wave" as a
description, but in view of the fact there is a local word for the phenomena
a "tsunami" then I prefer to use that instead.

Modern dictionaries now make a distinction between the two;
Even bigger snip

What do you consider modern?
Our Concise Oxford Dictionary printed in 1968 distinguishes between the
two. Having defined tidal wave it goes on to state:-
tidal wave (Improper) any extraordinary ocean wave e.g. one attributed
to earthquake
tsunami:- sea wave caused by disturbance of ocean floor or seismic
movement.
My better half (B.Sc. Geography 1965) concurs with the above as the
correct technical analysis. It's just that the media has only discovered
the word tsunami in the last couple of years or so, but better late than
never.
--
hugh
Reply to address is valid at the time of posting

On Fri, 07 Jan 2005 01:35:51 GMT, "JeffC"
wrote:

For those interested in technicalities, the following may be of use

http://www.fluidmech.net/tutorials/ocean/tsunami.htm
http://www.es.flinders.edu.au/%7Emat...lecture10.html


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net