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RE: Feduccia (mis)quotes me and mentions the DML in his new book
No, I do not think you get it. In the first instance, it is about
professional language: We talk about how *Panthera atrox* is a pantherin felid
feliformian carnivoran feraean eutherian therian mammmalian synapsid, not just
a "cave lion." In the second instance, it is replacing the vernacular with the
technical; it isn't _wrong_, but it's not what Tom was talking about. He
remains correct on this instance. I still call my cat by the term "cat," and
not more technical language when just talking about her -- but reference to the
species, to the _taxonomy_, is a whole 'nother matter.
Cheers,
Jaime A. Headden
The Bite Stuff (site v2)
http://qilong.wordpress.com/
"Innocent, unbiased observation is a myth." --- P.B. Medawar (1969)
"Ever since man first left his cave and met a stranger with a
different language and a new way of looking at things, the human race
has had a dream: to kill him, so we don't have to learn his language or
his new way of looking at things." --- Zapp Brannigan (Beast With a Billion
Backs)
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> Date: Sat, 7 Jan 2012 17:27:51 -0800
> From: turtlecroc@yahoo.com
> To: dinosaur@usc.edu; tholtz@umd.edu
> Subject: Re: FW: Feduccia (mis)quotes me and mentions the DML in his new book
>
> --- On Thu, 1/5/12, Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. wrote:
>
> > > We are descended from synapsids, but no one would say that we
> > > are synapsids, or extant synapsids, or mammalian synapsids.
> >
> > Ummm... Yes, we DO say that.
>
> (AND:)
> --- On Thu, 1/5/12, Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. wrote:
>
> > Except when discussing the origins of birds or matter related
> > to that, people don't talk that way.
> >
> > It is probably about as common as saying:
> >
> > [when looking at kittens]: "What cute synapsids!"
> >
>
> So which is it..?
>
> You see my point.
>
> No reply necessary. :)
>
> Paul P.
>
>