snell@utzoo.uucp (snell) (12/29/87)
In article <1191@nmtsun.nmt.edu>, <john@nmtsun.UUCP> John Shipman writes: >Summary: What's wrong with `gestalt'? It is a word full of pop-psychological clap-trap. On the other hand, `jizz' is a word used by birders, about birds. And, it is slang which is incomprehensible to the non-birder. Though the precise etymology is unclear, perhaps it has partly to do with the Brit's typical aversion to Germanic phraseology. >I don't mind jargon when necessary, I would argue that jargon is never necessary, though it may be fun. >but this one >seems to be either superfluous or a replacement for the old buzzword >`gestalt', the way I've seen it used. Greg Pasquariello's original >phrasing was: > >>> the LBB's seem to have an *extremely* long winged "jizz". > >Applying ``The Elements of Style'' by Strunk and White (Omit Needless >Words), I would rewrite that as: > >>> the LBB's seem *extremely* long-winged. No. This loses the sense of the original. Removal of `jizz' turns a phrase which clearly expressed the opinion of a birder about how to identify a particular species of gull from others, into a phrase which simply states that LBB's have extremely long wings. It does not indicate that this characteristic can be used for any practical purpose, let alone that it can be used for the precise function of identification. >According to the _Birding_ reference, it is also used this way: > > Mutt: I think that was a Black Scoter, not a Surf. > Jeff: How do you know? > Mutt: By the `jizz'. I certainly agree that this word can be used as a cop-out. It is so easy not to explain (or even think about) why one says something if an alternative is to utter some mumbo-jumbo about `jizz'. I have also seen such Mutt & Jeff routines. >People I've birded with typically use the word `gestalt' in situations >like this [stuff deleted] I don't think either Greg Pasquariello or I are trying to cook up some new slang and force it down the throats of reluctant U.S. birders. The word exists, is in common usage in Britain. It is fairly common in Canada. Clearly it has made its way into the U.S. too. Use `gestalt', `jizz', or whatever you enjoy. Good twitching! -- Name: Richard Snell Mail: Dept. Zoology, Univ. Toronto Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A1 UUCP: {allegra,decvax,ihnp4,linus,pyramid,yetti,utai}!utzoo!snell