Ken, Klaus, et al,
Ken wrote:
> Well, as I see it I'm not using the word my own way. I'm using it as
> most people seem to do. The issue is not how English speakers
> interpret the word "inter" -- most English speakers are not
> etymologists. The issue is that _you_ based your interpretation of
> the word interdisciplinary partly on your understanding of the word
> "inter." I wanted to clarify that the word has other meanings than
> those you described.
Just a thought. Might not the /use/ of the word 'inter' be different in
'interdisciplinary' than in, say, 'interstellar'? That is, while
'inter' may have a variety of connotations, mightn't 'interdisciplinary'
only be taking advantage of one of them?
Consider the word 'between' in the 2 phrases 'between the lines' and
'between the sheets'. To me, the former suggests a need to understand
all the lines between which one is /as a whole/, in order to get the
intended meaning, whereas the latter is rather literal. And 'between'
therefore has /both/ connotations.
All I'm saying is that maybe discussing 'inter' isn't really going to
help with understanding 'interdisciplinary'.
Cheers.
Fil
--
Filippo A. Salustri, PhD, PEng
on sabbatical until 17 August 2007 at:
Engineering Design Centre, University of Cambridge, UK
Email: [log in to unmask]
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