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You're not using "archaic" correctly Larry Send a noteboard - 20/04/2010 10:07:31 PM
My roommate is an ecology major, and studying "how organisms affect and are affected by other members, living and non-living alike, of local and global systems" seems to be exactly what he does. In fact, he just defined it to me now as "the study of interactions of organisms with one another and with their environment." Which is pretty much what Larry said, except Larry, to quote my roommate, "went one step further and defined 'environment.'"

So... I'm pretty sure what Larry said is a very correct and modern definition of the word "ecology."


Now talk to an english major and get the definition for conotative and denotative meaning.

Words and pharses have multiple meaning in english depending on context. How many different meanings can you communicate with the word "no"?

Archaic, as in not what the word conveys in common speech, in a given context. If I say "I am going to the theater." You will most likely think of movies, but what if I mean a play. If I say "I am going outside and burn a faggot", you will probably call the police to stop a murder, but what if I mean a cigarette, or perhaps to start a campfire. English is a tricky beast.

Make sense now?

The scientific and common definition/concept of a word offen are at odds. It is all about the context.


First off, it's not an antiquated use of the word. If anything, ecology is an inkhorn portmanteau that caught on in scientific and later, popular culture and it has very few variant meanings. Its meaning does not vary across regions, countries, or time. So arguing that it is "archaic" is a very strange set of reasoning.
Illusions fall like the husk of a fruit, one after another, and the fruit is experience. - Narrator, Sylvie

Je suis méchant.
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I was using a fairly precise term when I said "ecological" - 18/04/2010 12:13:14 AM 1095 Views
Re: I was using a fairly precise term when I said "ecological" - 18/04/2010 03:34:33 AM 1141 Views
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Not really sure how Larry's definition is archaic. - 19/04/2010 07:52:27 PM 979 Views
Re: Not really sure how Larry's definition is archaic. - 20/04/2010 07:04:40 PM 830 Views
You're not using "archaic" correctly - 20/04/2010 10:07:31 PM 851 Views
Your patronizing manner aside, that's not "archaic" at all. - 21/04/2010 01:46:50 AM 759 Views
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