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#132495 09/02/04 12:17 AM
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...or microphotograph? Is one a photo from a microscope image and the other a very small photograph? What does the team think?

jj


#132496 09/02/04 12:38 AM
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yes.

I think you've got it right. that's how I would interpret it, anyway...



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#132497 09/02/04 03:07 AM
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My brainy former brother-in-law, who knows about things scientific, says that a photomicrograph is always taken through (or with the aid of) a microscope.





#132498 09/02/04 05:04 AM
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former brother-in-law - come to think of it, despite its length, this expression is under-determined, and in view of nowaday's widespread "patchwork families", language has some catching-up to do.


#132499 09/02/04 05:36 AM
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I would assume that a microphotograph would be a very small photo and a photomicrograph would be taken through a microscope. But then again i'm no scientist (and that's probably a good thing)


#132500 09/02/04 10:03 AM
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this expression is under-determined

Meaning that who was once a brother-in-law could now be a sister-in-law?


#132501 09/02/04 08:07 PM
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And, Shelb, if a microphotograph is a very small photo and a photomicrograph is taken through a microscope, then a microphotophotomicrograph would be a very small photograph taken through a microscope! :) :)


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> and in view of nowaday's widespread "patchwork families", language has some catching-up to do

Recently, I was disappointed to learn that Hindi is going the other way. Despite having different words for aunt and uncle, to distinguish between biological and marriage-related versions, all the Hindi speakers I associate with simply use "aunt" and "uncle".


#132503 09/03/04 04:30 AM
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H marries W1.
W1 had a brother B1.
B1 becomes H's brother in law.
W1 dies.
H marries W2.
W2 has a brother B2 who is now entitled to be called brother in law.
In some sense B1, is still a brother in law but not in the same sense that B2 is. Hence, "former brother in law".

Any better way to say it?



#132504 09/03/04 05:37 AM
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Any better way to say it? No, this is just what I was "deploring"... but as long as no divorces are involved, things are relatively simple.



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