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#129242 06/13/04 04:30 PM
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boronia Offline OP
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I just bought myself a very nifty necklace: it's a small level on a chain. Now everyone can tell at a glance how off-balance I am. But it got me wonderin': why are things UNbalanced instead of IMbalanced? And why do we talk of IMbalance instead of UNbalance? You'd think we could use the same prefix for both! (Well, maybe if you're more level-headed, you wouldn't think so, but I do.)


#129243 06/13/04 06:25 PM
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i guess its good that its a necklace and not some sort of hair pin-- you wouldn't want people to think you didn't have your head on straight-- or that you weren't leval headed..




#129244 06/13/04 06:49 PM
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Can't think of answers, boronia. First guess was that imbalance might refer to people and unbalance to things. But it doesn't seem to hold up consistently.


#129245 06/13/04 08:06 PM
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Imbalance = a comparison between entities -vs- unbalanced = a single entitie's internal struggle?


#129246 06/13/04 11:37 PM
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why are things UNbalanced instead of IMbalanced?

"Imbalance" is a lack of balance while "unbalance" is the absence of balance.

You can usually correct for an "imbalance". If you become "unbalanced", you are headed for a fall.

Curious that we can mobilize troops but not unmobilize them. We have to disband them or perhaps demobilize them.








#129247 06/14/04 12:21 AM
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and debalance?





formerly known as etaoin...
#129248 06/14/04 12:25 AM
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Curious that we can mobilize troops but not unmobilize them. We have to disband them or perhaps demobilize them.

Hence, the military slang verb "demob".





#129249 06/14/04 11:34 PM
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Not adding anything to the topic ... just a comment to say I LOVE your necklace. It is really original. Is the level made of metal or wood?


#129250 06/15/04 05:13 AM
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The prefixes un- and in- (leading to im) are cognate according to the OED, but they reached the English language by different (germanic vs. latin) paths. Due to this, as it often happens, each carved out its niche. Again according to OED, imbalance was "Orig. a technical term in Ophthalmology", which then took on a more general use, my guess is because -mb- is less demanding for the tongue than -nb-.


#129251 06/17/04 11:58 PM
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boronia Offline OP
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thanks, belM -- the glass cylinder of the level is in a silver casing - no wood


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