User talk:Spideog

pikey

In SE England at least, this can be a synonym for chav etc., which doesn't necessarily imply ethnicity, just social class. Equinox ◑ 17:30, 20 February 2013 (UTC)

• Is the term "scanger" used in SE England? I know it as Hiberno-English and that is how "scanger" is defined here in Wiktionary. In Ireland, "pikey" specifically means Traveller only. While a Traveller may also be described pejoratively as a scanger, they are not synonyms – in Ireland. If you want to add "pikey" back into the "scanger" definition, you will need to define "scanger" as not just Hiberno-English. I would accept it more easily if you said that "chav" is used in England as a synonym for "pikey" because I know that "chav" is English rather than Hiberno-English, and you are better qualified than me to assert how the English use that term. I assert that if "scanger" is to be left defined as solely an Irish term, then "pikey" is not a synonym in Ireland. O'Dea (talk) 17:38, 20 February 2013 (UTC)

A word doesn't have to be used in the same dialect, or region, to be a synonym. Synonyms are only about meaning, not about geographical usage. For example, tattie is generally only used in Scotland, but it's still a synonym of potato, because it refers to the same thing. Equinox ◑ 21:43, 20 February 2013 (UTC)

scanger isn't used around here, BTW. I suspect it's not used outside Ireland at all. I have spent a little time in Scotland, where the closest term seemed to be ned. Equinox ◑ 21:44, 20 February 2013 (UTC)

Sorry for the string of separate replies, but (i) I've added "in England" as a qualifier to pikey in the synonym list at scanger, as this seems to resolve your point above, and (ii) just as an aside, it's interesting that chav comes from a Romany (i.e. gypsy) word, huh? :) Equinox ◑ 21:55, 20 February 2013 (UTC)

I understand your argument that a synonym is a synonym, but defining a word as operating within a limited sphere (Ireland, in this instance), and adding that another word (pikey, in this case) is a synonym, produces the unfortunate implication that the second word is a synonym of the first word – in Ireland – which is not the case. I am content that pikey should be listed as a synonym of chav, because that is usage in England, but I am displeased by the erroneous implication that pikey is considered a synonym of scanger within Ireland. I would arrange the presentation of information differently to avoid conveying that misunderstanding. O'Dea (talk) 21:57, 20 February 2013 (UTC)

I see the term scanger has been amended with the note "in England" after "pikey" but as the definition indicates, "scanger" is an Irish term not used in England. O'Dea (talk) 00:55, 1 March 2013 (UTC)

Yes, as I said above, the qualifiers and glosses are to be seen as separate from the actual meaning. A meaning is a purely abstract thing. Your argument seems to be analogous to this: "The US uses pounds; the UK uses kilograms; therefore we cannot say that 1 pound equals 0.45 kilograms." Of course we can, and must. The underlying equivalence remains, regardless of region. Equinox ◑ 02:55, 1 March 2013 (UTC)

Non-Latin Scripts

You should only add entries in the correct scripts for the languages. In the case of Hindi, that would be either Devanagari or (for Urdu) the Arabic script (for one thing, there's already an entry for जीरा (jīrā)). If you're adding terms to the etymology or translations, it's permissible to add the transliterated version along with {{rfscript}} to let those who know the scripts in question that it needs to be converted to that script. Chuck Entz (talk) 05:56, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

There are many terms from Hindi spelled in the Roman alphabet such as hing, jeera, mirch, and so on used on spice labels sold in Indian markets. How should these be included so that people can consult Wiktionary to find their meaning, when most Westerners cannot read Hindi script? O'Dea (talk) 05:59, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

Usually you will find that they are attestable in English running text. DCDuring TALK 01:40, 16 July 2013 (UTC)

I appreciate your reply but I have not met the phrase "English running text" before. Can you rephrase or explain that, please? I am keen to contribute a few Hindi-as-English terms, but I do not know the protocol for that. Thank you. O'Dea (talk) 02:03, 16 July 2013 (UTC)

Copyvio and Brevity

Please don't post entire articles in the Citations sections- especially not copyrighted works. A sentence (often less) is usually enough to establish the context for dictionary purposes: the idea is to demonstrate that it's in use, and, if possible, with what sense/definition. Using quotes from copyrighted material is only allowed for limited amounts of the text, not the entire work- unless there's some compelling reason that a lesser amount can't be used. Chuck Entz (talk) 20:09, 27 July 2013 (UTC)

aguinaldo

I'm a bit puzzled by your additions to this term- you cited two Spanish dictionaries, which would be completely irrelevant for an English term. Did you intend to add those as Spanish? If so, you would need to create a separate Spanish section to put them in. Thanks! Chuck Entz (talk) 04:31, 6 July 2014 (UTC)

While I'm at it: please look at the categories at the bottom of the entry when you add a context label. Sometimes, there are multiple ways a context could be interpreted, and the interpretation that's set in our databases may not be the one you intended. When you put "Latin America" as a context in one of the definitions, it was interpreted as saying that the word was characteristic of English spoken in Latin America, rather than referring to something having to do with Latin America. This added Category:Latin American English instead of Category:en:Latin America, which would have been more accurate. If you see that happening, you may have to use {{gloss}} instead of {{context}}. Thanks! Chuck Entz (talk) 05:00, 6 July 2014 (UTC)