I have often wondered about the suffix "tron," having seen it in various words here and there, such as cyclotron, betatron, electronic, thyrotron, klystron, and mellotron (which was a cool instrument used by the Beatles that played tape loops of other instruments -- a sort of primitive sampler). There was also an animated film "Tron," which solidified in my mind the corny 1950's-science-fiction connotation of the word. I finally looked it up and discoverd that tron comes from the Greek for instrument.
Main Entry: -tron
Function: noun suffix
Etymology: Greek, suffix denoting an instrument; akin to Old English -thor, suffix denoting an instrument, Latin -trum
1 : vacuum tube <magnetron>
2 : device for the manipulation of subatomic particles <cyclotron>
So why electron, neutron, positron etc?
And turtle or fencer's plastron.Except it is from Italian, not Greek.
and what's with ladytron!?
dynatron
n.
5DYNA3 + (ELEC)TRON6 a four-electrode electron tube in which the anode functions as a dynode
That's cool, Alex. Thank you. Hey--any of you with Atomica, click it on balatron! Here's something about electrons, doc:
The word "elektron" in Greek means amber, the yellow fossilized resin of evergreen trees, a "natural plastic material" already known to the ancient Greeks. It was known that when amber was rubbed with dry cloth--producing what now one would call static electricity--it could attract light objects, such as bits of paper. http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/whelect.html
What a wonderful way to wake up in the middle of the night:
Morning Becomes Electron!
I remember when we were going through all that cat, chicken tikka masala, amber rod, sheep's wool delightful nonsense here, we discussed the amber rods of the ancients. I wonder whether we hit up this electron angle in those all-over-the-map discussions?
If so, I'm glad it's come up again for a refresher; if not, I'm glad to learn more about amber rods and this derivation of electron. Jackie, thanks so much for providing that link! I've earmarked it because it has some other intriguing links on it.
And, Bingley, if you glance in on this thread, yes, this again is another reason why this board is such a gem. Long-nosed fish, papyrology, amber rods, and electrons--oh, joy!
why electron, neutron, positron etc?
The -on ending is just the Greek nominative/neuter case/gender marker. The -tr- is part of the root. It leaked over from the Greek word elektron into its extended use in much the same way the English -gate leaked over from Watergate to indicate any kind of government scandal with no thought as to its meaning. Don't go looking for any great meaning; there's no there there.
> Don't go looking for any great meaning; there's no there there.
Gee, sounds like a lot of language; merely superimposing itself over a phenomenon, allowing us to feel comfortable. A certain sense of power and knowledge overcomes us when we know the word for something no matter how silly that word is. Our sense of pride and power is twofold if we can then recite some dodgy heresy etymology as well.
Reminds me of the little toddler in his cot/crib next to an open window who is suddenly confronted by an astounding looking self-guided thing that seems to defy gravity, hovering by the window looking in at the boy. The boy, awestruck by the dynamic fluttering sounds of the hovering creature turns to his mother and exclaims 'Wat'z dat!'. His mother turns briefly and offers 'A bird'. 'Oh!' says the boy turning away from the window.
>Gee, sounds like a lot of language; merely superimposing itself over a phenomenon, allowing us to feel comfortable.
Also allowing us to communicate, at least so it seems to my simple mind. A world without language of some sort would, it seems to me, be a very quiet, lonely place. You're welcome to it, by.
Bellyouth:
Your anecdote brought a little tear to my eye...
Sjm, I'm just pointing out that we can't even decide what constitutes the simplest of things nevermind the atom and all those theoretical subparticles.
> be a very quiet, lonely place.
And the small mouth movements of monkey bodies are so heavenly divine? I dunno. There are certain octopi (hey Jazz) that change colour according to what they are feeling. They become their linguistic intent instead of parsing thought through a socially sanctioned dictionary. They can become what they think! I think this is where we - in the digital age -could/should be heading.
English is being spread so thin it is fast becoming a straitjacket holding humanity back. If Whorf was right, and language is fundamentally who we are then we are getting nowhere fast. For as English spreads it must homogenize thought somewhat, bending things to its will - this is kind of the concept of 'memes'. English therefore is a neurosis inducing linguistic disease that will help eradicate language as we know it, setting the imagination free again.
Reset the preset!
[running]
Thanks for the input on 'tron', Faldage
BelY, I find the reference to English being meme-like, intriguing. You are indeed right and it is because of this very same quality that it or any language enhances creativity and consequent multiplanar expansion (I believe your last sentence endorses this). What I fail to comprehend, is how that can possibly be a straitjacket. Are you trying to say that it is crowding out other such with its reach, and in the process also promoting programmed and standardised patterns of learned thought? The former appears to be a tragic but expected fall-out of consolidated 'empirification' of the world. The latter although partly true, however merits consideration that, language despite its defining boundaries and limits, provides the medium for imagination, reasoning and questioning. It is thus continuously, both an acquisitive and creative process that results ultimately in the constant modification of language itself. Almost like, language - meme1 - homogeneous thought - poor copying fidelity - altered meme - altered thought - altered language - meme1a ------and so on. So, in the final analysis, it assimilates change quite rapidly and should therefore promote significant heterogeneity.
Surely, the octopi also must have a colour coded dictionary sanctioned by their own memes and genes!
BY, your post mentioned "language" - it did not specify spoken language. That's why in my reply I spoke of a world without language "of some sort". For all the limitations of language, it seems to me to be very necessary if I am to be other than an island. Surely any form of structured communication, verbal, visual, or otherwise, is language?
...Our sense of pride and power is...Yeah, well, speak for yourself!!!
--------------------
English therefore is a neurosis inducing linguistic disease that will help eradicate language as we know it...At least your consistent with being the eternal opt
omist I've come to know you as...
... and,
English is (at the same time) being a language that slows progress down and holds the tension (like a stretched rubber band) as specific politics get assigned to
it *arbitrarily.
sjm - My above post goes directly toward perceptions of language and specific posturings involved.