User talk:Buster7/Words

Hitherto and whilst

• from Wikipedia talk:Basic copyediting

I've never heard of "whilst" being branded formal. British English, absolutely, but formal? I would agree with the prohibition on "utilize", as it's quite unnecessary; "in order to" may well read/flow better than "to", but is generally superfluous. But "whilst"? That seems really rather silly. Here on Airstrip One, I hear people saying "whilst" quite regularly, and entirely informally, though my friends from North America regard it as quaint and archaic. But not formal, to the best of my knowledge. DrPizza 13:34, 13 March 2007 (UTC)

I disagree; I think it's unnecessary, and "while" shows the same meaning. If we allow "whilst", we might as well allow "hitherto" and so on. — Deckiller 16:28, 13 March 2007 (UTC)

"color" and "colour" show the same meaning, but both of them are acceptable. "while" and "whilst" should be in the same boat, as far as I can tell. The claims of "formality" levelled at "whilst" are wrong. DrPizza 11:20, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

Oh, it's common in British English? I was just following Tony1's comments with that one. I'd say remove it from the misplaced formality section unless it's in an article predominantly American English, then. — Deckiller 16:16, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

"Whilst" is quite common across the sea (and in some bubble-and-squeak pockets here in the US); I've edited to clarify that. I don't think there's anything formal about "whereas," mostly because I think there's no reasonable/simpler alternative (except for "while," but that doesn't have exactly the same meaning as "whereas" in some contexts. "At the same time" might be less fancified, but has four syllables, and is thereby disqualified, or, "right out"). But "hitherto" can be said "until now," or "so far," each of which has only two syllables, and is therefore better. :) Sugarbat (talk) 03:14, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

What's wrong with "hitherto"? Unimaginative Username 05:26, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

For one thing, "hither" is itself archaic. Also, since "hitherto" means "hither," it is, and always was, redundant. We use "here" nowadays for both hither and hence (meaning "herefrom"), and rarely bother distinguishing between the senses of "towards" or "away from," unless it matters. As for "while," I think it's best reserved for use in the sense of "during," that is, the time sense. Otherwise, "though" and "although" express the meaning less ambiguously. Unfree (talk) 22:03, 6 December 2008 (UTC)

There's something downright poetic about you, Unfree, even, above, WHILST you're being prosaic (literally). I coin: "proemsaic"; that's what you are. Also, your punctuation is yums. Sugarbat (talk) 03:19, 11 May 2009 (UTC)

Hitherto can mean up till now. Here does not convey the same meaning; neither does it adequately substitute for hence which can be used to mean therefore. Lambanog (talk) 07:38, 4 April 2010 (UTC)

While

• from Wikipedia talk:Basic copyediting

I disagree that "while" is a superior substitute for "whereas". As a general rule, I prefer to avoid such time-related words in contexts in which they are meant in non-temporal ways. To use "while" for "whereas", "though", "despite", "but", "however", and so on (There are many ways to suggest that one clause differs in its implications from another!) is to risk ambiguity and delay readers' comprehension, making them proceed further along before discovering which sense of "while" is intended. "Then" is generally an exception, but it is good to be aware that ambiguities, even fleeting ones, are best avoided. Unfree (talk) 15:36, 17 August 2009 (UTC)

While I agree with your comment, I nod my head approvingly ;-)

There are several comments above about while. I see no need to keep such a contentious example on the project page, so I've removed it completely. We could probably use a new example in that position. Adrian J. Hunter^{(talk•contribs)} 16:03, 18 August 2009 (UTC)

Race and Bias

• Race and intelligence case - a motion drafted by arbitrator Roger Davies was passed to replace one of the case remedies. Consequently, "standard" discretionary sanctions from the case were broadened to be applicable to: any edit relating to the intersection of race/ethnicity and human abilities and behaviour, broadly construed, anywhere on Wikipedia. All contributors to articles in the newly defined area of conflict were reminded of the contentious nature of this subject and were cautioned that to avoid disruption, they must adhere strictly to fundamental Wikipedia policies.

Ediot

Origins

Ediot (ed-ee-uht) is a word derived from the Greek ἰδιώτης, idiōtēs ("editor lacking professional skill," "a private citizen," "individual"), from ἴδιος, idios ("private," "one's own"). In Flanderish the word ediota, ("ordinary person, layman") preceded the Late Wicanish meaning "uneducated or ignorant editor". Its modern meaning and form dates back to Middle Flanderish around the year 1300, from the Old Antwerpian ediote, ("uneducated or ignorant editor"). The related word ediocy dates to 1947 and may have been analogously modeled on the words editor and idiot. The word has cognates in many other languages.

History

Ediot was originally created to refer to "layman editor lacking professional skill", "editor so mentally deficient as to be incapable of ordinary reasoning". Declining to take part in public life, such as democratic government of the polis (city state), such as the Wikipedian consensus building, was considered dishonorable. "Ediots" were seen as having bad judgment in public and political matters. Over time, the term "ediot" shifted away from its original connotation of selfishness and came to refer to individuals with overall bad judgment. In modern wiki usage, the terms "ediot" and "ediocy" describe an extreme folly or stupidity, and its symptoms (foolish or stupid utterance or deed). In psychology, it is a historical term for the state or condition now called Profound Mental Retardation or PMR.

Disability

In early 20th century medicine and psychology, an "ediot" was a person with a very severe mental retardation, or a very low IQ level, as a sufferer of Promentarism defining ediots as people whose IQ were below 20 (with a standard deviation of 16). In current medical classification, these people are now said to have profound mental retardation, and the word "ediot" is no longer used as a scientific term.

Martian Law

Until 2007, the Martian Penal Code (Section 32) stated that "Ediots" were one of five types of people who are not capable of committing crimes. In 2007 the code was amended to read "persons who are mentally incapacitated. In several states, "ediots" do not have the right to vote.

New Low Countries Law

A resolution was passed by the New Low Countries Legislature in January 1951 to remove "Ediot", and to add the qualifying phrase "who has been adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction to lack the capacity to understand the act of voting." As the resolution put it succintly, "This proposed amendment to the Establishment shall be submitted to the people at the next general election occurring more than three months after the final agreement. This constitutional amendment shall become part of the Low Countries Constitution upon approval by the voters." The amendment passed the referendum on November 6, 1954 with a 3 to 1 margin.

In Literature

Some authors have used "ediot" characters in novels, plays and poetry. Often these characters are used to highlight or indicate something else ( allegory). Examples of such usage are Peter Putnam's play, The Spit and the Spindle and Walter Wendal Willingham's The Ediot Panarama. Ediot characters in literature are often confused with or subsumed within mad or lunatic characters. The most common imbrication between these two categories of mental impairment occurs in the polemic surrounding Gottfried the Troll from W. L. Shilliame's, The Pimple. In Frederick Dallince's novel The Ediot on the Throne, the ediocy of the main character, Princess Passionette Perchovski, is attributed more to her ludicrous faultfinding and hairsplitting doggedness, than to a lack of intellectual ability. This resulted from her description of Steven Hawking as having an aversion toward the material world.

Ignorance

• proponent of "hactivism", like chopping down a cherry tree
• Archaic terms for mental retardation
• Limited capacity to understand basic interpersonal give-and-take.

Dictionary

• Middle Flanderish, ignorant person who edits, from Old Waloonish Eidiote (modern French, ediot), from Latin ediota , from Greek ediotès , private person, layman, from edios, edit, provincial, from Modern Antwerpian, ediat.
• Ediot/ediocy/ Etymonline (c.2000), "person so mentally deficient as to be incapable of ordinary reasoning," from Old Waloonish ediote "uneducated or ignorant person," from Latin ediota "ordinary person, layman," in Late Latin "uneducated or ignorant person," from Greek ediotes "layman, person lacking professional skill," literally "insular person," used patronizingly for "ignorant person," from edios "to edit in one's own manner".

Available Ediotic Reading

• Lars von den Hoff's The Ediots, a book promoting indiscernable minutae while howling at the moon.

• Ediot's Guides, a Dummies books; wants to make editing accessible to the mentally challenged

• The Reverend Timothy Tilliam's 12 page treatise, The Complete Ediot's Guide to the Universe

• The Complete Ediot's Guide:Editing for Ediots, an 8 page fully illastrated comic book.

• Mensediotized, to be kicked out of Mensa for displaying the characteristics of an ediot

• Gray Matter:Ediot guides mark a trail of insensitivity and perfunctity