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kindall | 4 years ago

They really missed an opportunity by not calling it the Great Vowel Movement

discuss

eindiran|4 years ago

Vowel shift is a term of art in linguistics, so I'm not sure the pun would be worth it.

> Vowel shift is a term of art in linguistics

Aside: I see "term of art" everywhere on HN lately. Why?! What does it add to saying "Vowel shift is a linguistics term" or "a term in linguistics"? Why do people want to sound like patent lawyers? Am I missing something?

optimuspaul|4 years ago

Seems like linguistics is the perfect arena for exploiting puns. Term of art I think not when they miss a perfect chance for artistry.

tabtab|4 years ago

Maybe because "V" and "B" used to be pronounced the same ;-)

brigandish|4 years ago

It certainly reinforces what I know about techies that I just had to scroll all the way down to here to get past a group of them not only missing the point of a joke, but then arguing with each other pendantically over the meaning of words that add nothing to the discussion.

Is bikeshedding a habit or a temperament?

Glad to see someone managed to get the joke, anyway.

Koshkin|4 years ago

In Spanish they still are.