[CAUT] Semantics

[Jeff Tanner]

No. You completely misunderstand.  "I and the rest of the world" have been taught from early school years that the word "amplify" means "to make larger or more powerful".  Applied to volume of noise, the definition becomes "to make the volume of noise larger or more powerful". 

The fact that we are bickering over this difference in semantics - and that is what it is - has to do with the reality that there is a very small portion of the population that uses the word differently, and rejects what we have all been taught to accept as the definition of the word from early grade school.  The non-physicists of the world have not been taught that, in physics in order to "amplify", energy must be increased.  We all just know it gets louder.  Indeed, I have not been the only technician to misuse the word in this discussion.  Obviously, we all learned the same thing to begin with, and we've had someone even post to that effect.  Those of you who studied physics obviously had to unlearn it and apply the word differently as it pertains to your context.

Jeff


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: PAULREVENKOJONES at aol.com 
  To: caut at ptg.org 
  Sent: Friday, May 08, 2009 6:12 PM
  Subject: Re: [CAUT] Semantics


  Your apology is marred by the continuing glib and facile ad hominem of "I and rest of the world..." implying, I take it, that the rest of us are insane, stupid, misinformed, or just pedantic sticklers for high-end communication. Just because we're technicians doesn't mean that we can't or shouldn't be encouraged to correctly draw our language for technical phenomena from the scientific world, and attempt to understand the language. If you wish to redefine for your purposes only accepted technical verbiage, then the result will be as it is: we are talking different languages. Your choice.

  P 

  In a message dated 5/8/2009 3:16:02 P.M. Central Daylight Time, tannertuner at bellsouth.net writes:
    I apologize for using the word "amplify" incorrectly, as those of you 
    understand it.  Here's how I and the rest of the world previously understood 
    the meaning of "amplify":

    Amplify: 1. To make larger or more powerful; increase. 2. To add to, as by 
    illustration and make complete. 3. Exaggerate. 4. Electronics. to produce 
    amplification of.  verb: to write or discourse at length; expatiate.

    Source: American Heritage Dictionary, 2nd College Edition.

    So, who has the correct definition? Physicists or the rest of the world?

    Is it soccer or football?

    Semantics.
    Jeff Tanner
    (I have never in 42 years and seriously doubt I will ever use the word 
    "transduce".  Nobody else will know what it means.)

    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: "Ron Nossaman" <rnossaman at cox.net>
    To: <caut at ptg.org>
    Sent: Friday, May 08, 2009 7:47 AM
    Subject: Re: [CAUT] Accujust and grunting fish bait


    > David Love wrote:
    >> Sorry to disagree but I think in this case it is a semantic issue and the 
    >> original question has been lost on this tangent.
    >
    > I disagree. It's not a semantic issue. The terms are clearly defined, 
    > regardless of colloquial usage. It's the continued use and tolerance of 
    > fuzzy ill defined concepts that make these discussions nearly useless, and 
    > doomed to repeat endlessly.
    >
    > Ron N
    >
    > 






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