Am I the only one bothered by the term "T's?"

[Tim Benzedrine]

What a grammar Nazi!

That's "G-naz", pronounced "Gee-notz", thank, you very much.

 

[Cavedweller]

I always just assumed people used "Ts" because "tarantula" is a bit of a finger-tangler to type out. When I first got into the hobby it took me an embarrassing amount of time to realize that's what it meant, though.

 

[Sam_Peanuts]

I'm never sure if it's pronounced "my-GALE" or "my-GAL" but I would love to know how it's pronounced in French.

It's pronounced "Me-Gal" in French, probably with a softer "G" than what's used in English(I kind of have it sounding two different ways in my head right now so I'm not 100% sure). The "e" is silent at the end.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Can I toss a wrench into the works? Check out the etymology of the word Tarantula:
"1560s, "wolf spider," (Lycos tarantula), from Medieval Latin tarantula, from Italian tarantola, from Taranto "Taranto," seaport city in southern Italy in the region where the spiders are frequently found, from Latin Tarentum, from Greek Taras (genitive Tarantos; perhaps from Illyrian darandos "oak"). Its bite is only slightly poisonous. Popularly applied to other great hairy spiders, especially the genus Mygale, native to the warmer regions of the Americas (first so called in 1794)."

That's the latin word they used for call Lycosa tarantula spider. Just that.
In Italian, the word "Tarantola" (plural, Tarantole) was nothing particular referred to, back then (of course, since that, everyone thinks when hear "Tarantola" all of a sudden, about a "big" spider) except for something related to the old "Magna Grecia" town of Taras (Taranto).

Something, not someone (important) related to Taranto, no matter if the town or the nearby area. Someone from Taranto (a man) is a "Tarantino" (like Quentin ah ah) plural, "Tarantini".
IMO i guess they called that spider because that spider was found, and still live today (amazing IMO, since is a mess of a pollution that zone) in Taranto area.

So.. Lycosa "something related to Taranto.. where we found that.. let's see.. ok, good old Latin.. Tarantula!" hence Tarantula. Later even become "Tarantola" an Italian surname ah ah (in the South, not here in the Northern part).
Now of course, of course. That term was after applied to American continent, the "New World", "big, hairy spiders" as well discovered. They are, indeed, worldwide knowed as "Tarantulas". I'm not denying that. As you said, popularly.

What about the OW'S, then, that arachnologists like Tamerlan Thorell or our Giacomo Doria (he was into spiders as well) studied (i assume that.. probably they did) even prior to apply the name "Tarantulas" in a general way to American T's?

That's the reason why i stick to Thorell Theraphosidae. Not cool and straight like Tarantulas, ok. But.

That's only my view about the story, of course. After all, to call those Tarantulas is now a worldwide accepted fact, even if i don't like that much on a personal opinion.

 

[cold blood]

This is arachnologist Sam Marshall's explanation in his book, "Tarantulas and other Arachnids":

"The tarantulas bad reputation began in southern Europe during the middle ages with a large burrowing wolf spider Lycosa tarentula, which was thought to be dangerously venomous. The name tarantula derives from the city of Taranto in northern Italy, and a popular dance, the Tarantella, which was supposed to cure the effects of a tarantulas bite. It has been proposed that the real or imagined tarantula bites were used as an excuse to dance wildly, something the church frowned upon at the time. The memory of this big, bad wolf spider was brought to the Americas by Europeans, and the name tarantula was quickly applied to a totally different type of spider: spiders in the family Theraphosidae. Perhaps the first recorded use of the name tarantulas for these new world spiders is in a narrative by Jonathan Stedman, a British adventurer and mercenary traveling in Suriname (in north-eastern South America) in the 1770's in his narrative of a five year expedition....

Most of the furor is over the fact that the name tarantula was initially applied to a wolf spider. Wolf spiders are not closely related to the large, hairy theraphosid spiders we now call tarantulas. However, the wolf spider from southern Europe (Lycosa tarentla) does look something like a tarantula and digs and burrows like many tarantulas do.

When Europeans started to settle the New World, the name tarantula was already firmly established in the popular mythology of spiders. The first of what are now called tarantulas was not brought to the attention of scientists until 1705 when Maria Sibylla Merian, a Swiss naturalist visiting Suriname, included a painting of a large hairy spider eating a hummingbird in her book "Insects of Suriname". The tarantula was a pink toe tarantula...Her readers in Europe were horrified at the idea that a spider could turn the tables and eat a bird."

 

[Chris LXXIX]

This is arachnologist Sam Marshall's explanation in his book, "Tarantulas and other Arachnids":

"The tarantulas bad reputation began in southern Europe during the middle ages with a large burrowing wolf spider Lycosa tarentula, which was thought to be dangerously venomous. The name tarantula derives from the city of Taranto in northern Italy, and a popular dance, the Tarantella, which was supposed to cure the effects of a tarantulas bite. It has been proposed that the real or imagined tarantula bites were used as an excuse to dance wildly, something the church frowned upon at the time. The memory of this big, bad wolf spider was brought to the Americas by Europeans, and the name tarantula was quickly applied to a totally different type of spider: spiders in the family Theraphosidae. Perhaps the first recorded use of the name tarantulas for these new world spiders is in a narrative by Jonathan Stedman, a British adventurer and mercenary traveling in Suriname (in north-eastern South America) in the 1770's in his narrative of a five year expedition....

Most of the furor is over the fact that the name tarantula was initially applied to a wolf spider. Wolf spiders are not closely related to the large, hairy theraphosid spiders we now call tarantulas. However, the wolf spider from southern Europe (Lycosa tarentla) does look something like a tarantula and digs and burrows like many tarantulas do.

When Europeans started to settle the New World, the name tarantula was already firmly established in the popular mythology of spiders. The first of what are now called tarantulas was not brought to the attention of scientists until 1705 when Maria Sibylla Merian, a Swiss naturalist visiting Suriname, included a painting of a large hairy spider eating a hummingbird in her book "Insects of Suriname". The tarantula was a pink toe tarantula...Her readers in Europe were horrified at the idea that a spider could turn the tables and eat a bird."

Sorry.. Taranto in Northern Italy? Ah ah ah, that's in the South, Sam Marshall! Puglia region (ancient, Apulia).
Ah ah ah, sorry if i laugh cold blood, my friend, but here in the North where i live.. the Northern League separatists (who fail 24/7 to try to imitate Eugene Terre'Blanche South Africa AWB Boers) would be extremely pissed off. Great
Couldn't resist.. everything here is politics.

 

[MikeC]

I think the argument people are making re: calling them spiders is due to the fact that we already have a group of arachnids we call "true spiders". But, to say that they aren't spiders is incorrect; tarantulas are Theraphosidae, which are Mygalomorphae, which are Aranae (psst psst, spiders) and then Arachnida. I think some people forget about the Aranae in between Mygalomorphae and Arachnida. That said, I also am reticent to refer to them as spiders because when I say spider, I usually mean trues.

Yea, that's pretty much what I thought as well, which is why I touched on it trying to explain things.
"True Spider" is a misnomer.
I can understand why you wouldn't typically call a tarantula a spider, too.

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

It's pronounced "Me-Gal" in French, probably with a softer "G" than what's used in English(I kind of have it sounding two different ways in my head right now so I'm not 100% sure). The "e" is silent at the end.

Thanks for that. I think I will start using it instead of "tarantula." I just hope it won't come off as more pretentious than using "theraphosid" or "theraphosid spider" in casual conversation.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Thanks for that. I think I will start using it instead of "tarantula." I just hope it won't come off as more pretentious than using "theraphosid" or "theraphosid spider" in casual conversation.

My two cents, AphonopelmaTX. Stick to "Tarantulas", man. "Mygal" or what Italians sometime use, "Migale/Migali/Migalomorfi" is a generalization, not 100% correct, counting in that "army" ALL of the eight legged "big" spiders, hence from a "Grammo/or Brachy" to "Atrax".

 

[MikeC]

I guess I get it to those that are brand new to the hobby or to forums.

I'm not new to the hobby, or to forums in general. It's just an idiosyncrasy of mine. It really is specific to the term "T," as well. Abbreviating the first half of the scientific name doesn't bother me. Things like OBT, LP, and GBB aren't nearly as irritating. Just "T."
I don't have a logical reason why, aside from associating all text-based shorthand on the Internet as lazy (to an extent, some folks have posted pretty valid reasons.)

With regard to doctors, that's probably the one instance I would actually encourage it, since I'd prefer a physician to spend time on care, rather than worrying that his/her complicated medical terms are all written out.

Bottom line, when in Rome, do as the Romans do....so if you're in the hobby, these should be embraced and accepted, not fought or left to irritate, cause that's never gonna change a thing, its been engrained into the hobby long before most of us were even alive. Don't fight it or be irritated by it....rather, embrace it.

This isn't me trying to change anything. I don't expect something ingrained into the hobby to up and disappear. I can, though, express distaste at the fact it started being used. I don't see myself changing either, since I'm perfectly happy to type "tarantula."

I just don't see how the term/letter t would cause anyone a bit of angst or irritation, its not rocket science, its as simple as it could be made to be (of write). Write tarantula 10,000 times and you'll see t is just easier pretty quickly.

For the same reason things like "SMH", "LOL", and the like bother me. I also get irritated at folks who intentionally don't care about grammar, punctuation, and syntax.

The fact that it's easier shouldn't always be a valid reason. I get your example, but when would someone be writing "tarantula" more than a handful of times in something like a short forum post?

I'm utterly shocked that this nit-picky thread about a minor irritation for some took off like it did.

To be frank, me too. I wasn't expecting this, but since it escalated I feel a little obligated to see most of the conversation through.

---------- Post added 09-18-2015 at 04:02 PM ----------

Maybe it's just me but the word "tarantula" doesn't really lend itself well to a shortened version, like scorps or pedes. "Tars", "tarans", "tulas", etc just sound weird - hence T.

I'm not sure I'd agree there.
I think "pedes" is a little strange. At least stranger than "scorps."
It's also hard to distinguish whether they meant centipedes or millipedes. Maybe "MPedes" and "CPedes" should be the designation?

---------- Post added 09-18-2015 at 04:04 PM ----------

You put it much better than i ever could.. See this is what i was gonna say.. TsTsTsTsTsTsTsTsTsTsTs REALLY this bugs you? TsTsTsTsTsTsTsTs its way faster to type T than tarantula TTs Ts Ts Ts Ts Ts Ts Ts Ts suck it up its how we do on the boards TsTsT Ts Ts Ts Ts Ts Ts Ts Ts Ts Ts...

This post demonstrates a level of immaturity I didn't expect from you.

In answer to your question, yes, that bugs me. As does that entire post, since you're acting childish and intentionally trying to get under my skin.

---------- Post added 09-18-2015 at 04:10 PM ----------

I always just assumed people used "Ts" because "tarantula" is a bit of a finger-tangler to type out. When I first got into the hobby it took me an embarrassing amount of time to realize that's what it meant, though.

I've never had to much trouble typing it out, so it's a bit hard for me to relate to that.
You want a finger tangler? "Bougainvillea."

 

[cold blood]

Sorry.. Taranto in Northern Italy? Ah ah ah, that's in the South, Sam Marshall! Puglia region (ancient, Apulia).
Ah ah ah, sorry if i laugh cold blood, my friend, but here in the North where i live.. the Northern League separatists (who fail 24/7 to try to imitate Eugene Terre'Blanche South Africa AWB Boers) would be extremely pissed off. Great :

It was NOT my words, I clearly attributed it to the original author.

Please contact Samuel Marshall for your rebuttal and complaints.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Sorry.. Taranto in Northern Italy? Ah ah ah, that's in the South, Sam Marshall! Puglia region (ancient, Apulia).
Ah ah ah, sorry if i laugh cold blood, my friend, but here in the North where i live.. the Northern League separatists (who fail 24/7 to try to imitate Eugene Terre'Blanche South Africa AWB Boers) would be extremely pissed off. Great :

It was NOT my words, I clearly attributed it to the original author.

Please contact Samuel Marshall for your rebuttal and complaints.

I've said that, read well
I just explained to you why that made me laugh, that's all.

 

[MikeC]

Sorry.. Taranto in Northern Italy? Ah ah ah, that's in the South, Sam Marshall! Puglia region (ancient, Apulia).
Ah ah ah, sorry if i laugh cold blood, my friend, but here in the North where i live.. the Northern League separatists (who fail 24/7 to try to imitate Eugene Terre'Blanche South Africa AWB Boers) would be extremely pissed off. Great
Couldn't resist.. everything here is politics.

It was NOT my words, I clearly attributed it to the original author.

Please contact Samuel Marshall for your rebuttal and complaints.

It looks like he did.

 

[cold blood]

Man you guys are quick, I literally tried to delete that post within 5 seconds after realizing, but there was a problem with the edit/delete and I had to shut off and turn back on the computer...by then y'all beat me to it:evil:

 

[MikeC]

Man you guys are quick, I literally tried to delete that post within 5 seconds after realizing, but there was a problem with the edit/delete and I had to shut off and turn back on the computer...by then y'all beat me to it:evil:

I would have posted even faster if I had abbreviated a few of those words to individual letters.

(I kid, I kid!)

 

[parthicus]

Confusion? Why? It's easy. Theraphosidae.
Theraphosa sp. and Theraphosinae sp. are both subfamily

I guess it really comes down to how you use it in a given situation. If you are talking to someone that is not interested in tarantulas and you use "T's", this can cause confusion.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I guess it really comes down to how you use it in a given situation. If you are talking to someone that is not interested in tarantulas and you use "T's", this can cause confusion.

I live in a nation where people are interested in every type of oop: but not about Theraphosidae so i don't talk about with those :coffee:

They can die now IMO and i wouldn't care, seriously. "arachno-haters" ignorants, puppets.

 

[le-thomas]

They can die now IMO and i wouldn't care, seriously. "arachno-haters" ignorants, puppets.

Retweet :clap::worship:

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Retweet :clap::worship:

Yeah. "Eradicate, destroy them all" <-- from "Disarmonia Mundi - Nihilistic overdrive".
Good guys.

 

[vespers]

I'm 27, so I'm not too far behind you. I didn't occupy the generation where 10 year olds got cell phones, but the few years I've had with one of them fancy newfangled smartphones certainly helped my small-screen typing ability.

Your generation did indeed get cell phones around 10...the rich kids had Nokias, the not-so-rich kids still had pagers. Those silly pagers still had abbreviations and codes too. One of my stepdaughters is 27 too, and I remember that stuff all too well. She had an orange pager...and those of us who remember rotary landline phones were paying the bill, haha. Or is it LOL?

Anyhow, sorry to stray off topic.:laugh: