Scientific names, why are we loath to use them?

[cg74]

Without Linnaeus, Darwin would have had a much tougher time of it.

Undoubtedly he would have but for angling common sense and common names will prevail IMO. As within the confines of the UK, pretty much all anglers know what is meant when told of a chub, tench or barbel capture and at the risk of confusing a few South African anglers who call a type of catfish a barbel, I ain't calling my catches Barbus barbus, they is and always have been barbel to me and for me they is staying as BARBEL.


No need to change anything, not that it would be accepted by most anglers anyway.

 

[Simon K]

You may use whichever name suits you young Colin, but it is interesting how commonly some species are starting to be referred to in the angling community by their latin names, particularly tinca, barbus and esox. The National Eel Club? Nope, the National Anguilla Club.

With the (all to) human predilection for corrupting language down to it's basest level (e.g. "txt speak") and the all-pervasive internet to re-inforce and embed it, I'd say it could only be a matter of time before any latin name that 's shorter than the common or perhaps just has that particular "ring" to it, will usurp the latter's place in angling lingo.

 

[cg74]

Young Simon (though not so young as me), I see you're as guilty as anyone of shortening your written words: "I'd" rather than I would.

Back on topic; there is really no need for anglers to speak of their quarry in such technical terms, it's pedantry and it'll never catch on and understandably so...... Will you be Leuciscus cephalus fishing this winter, no in all honesty I think you will be chub fishing.
It could be argued that using scientific names would reduce confusion but simpler to say a fishes whole commonly used name. Ron wrote: Bream - Albramis brama, this causes confusion; which bream species is Albramis brama common/bronze or the silver bream, if Ron had written common/bronze bream that would've offered greater clarity.

As for specialist groups using latin names, yes but I'd suggest more as terms of endearment. A few name changes pending: Barbel Society - Barbus barbus Society, Tench Fishers - Tinca tinca Fishers, these two include the species and not just the genus because in the UK we only commonly target that particular species but for mud-pigs I'll stick with the genus to save confusion; Carp Society - Cyprinus Society.
Can't see it catching on, but like said before, I can't see it ever catching on, use it where its needed.

Interestingly you mention anglers shortening fishes latin names, I'd say that's already going on, National Anguilla Club instead of a more accurate; National Anguilla anguilla Club.

 

[Simon K]

You may use whichever name suits you young Colin, but it is interesting how commonly some species are starting to be referred to in the angling community by their latin names, particularly tinca, barbus and esox. The National Eel Club? Nope, the National Anguilla Club.

With the (all to) human predilection for corrupting language down to it's basest level (e.g. "txt speak") and the all-pervasive internet to re-inforce and embed it, I'd say it could only be a matter of time before any latin name that 's shorter than the common or perhaps just has that particular "ring" to it, will usurp the latter's place in angling lingo.

Singular species names Colin, not binomial.

And I did say "some", not all.

Language always changes over time, it wouldn't be too far fetched for Chub to eventually be known as "Leucys" (pronounced: Lucys) at some point, or Gudgeon to be "Gobbys"?

 

[dezza]

By using the scientific name it identifies the species exactly

eg: Abramis brama, which is the common or bronze bream. I knew that when I was 10 years old - honestly.

The binomial or two part Greco/Latin form of nomenclature which cuts across virtually all world languages was invented by Linnaeus. The first part of the name is the genus which defines the group of animals the subject in question belongs to. The second part of the name identifies exactly the species within that group.

It really is not difficult to understand. When I went to primary school we had a teacher who took us on nature walks. She would often quote the scientific name for species such as grasshoppers and butterflies.

All very fascinating and far more interesting than saying I saw a blue butterfly with black stripes today.

Certainly the ancient Romans and Greeks did a lot for us.

 

[audi49]

In all fairness quite a few latin names are as simple as saying "a blue butterfly with black stripes", you're just essentially saying it in latin. Obviously some are much more poetic though, like ephemera danica.

Saying that, it avoids confusion to use the Scientific name.

Also, Esox is the genus, just to be pedantic (and because I study Biology)

 

[The Monk]

The scientific naming system for animals and plants was systematised by the 18th-century Swedish naturalist Carl von Linné, better known as Carl Linnaeus. He created the hierarchical system of grouping animals and plants and used Latin and Greek names for the groups because these were the international languages of science at the time. Nowadays, non-Latin parts are sometimes used as well (Denversaurus, for instance), but the whole name tends to be Latinised for consistency and to avoid accusations of national bias.

 

[Alan Tyler]

The daft thing is that scientists tend to have a rather poor grasp of which classical language is which, so we have "Hypodermic" needles to deliver medicines below the "subcutaneous" fat- if they'd asked classicists, we'd have the all-Latin "Subdermal" and the Greek "Hypocutaneous".
P.S. Let's not forget the contribution of this Essex lad: [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ray"]John Ray - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia@@AMEPARAM@@/wiki/File:John_Ray_from_NPG.jpg" class="image" title="John Ray"><img alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/John_Ray_from_NPG.jpg/200px-John_Ray_from_NPG.jpg"@@AMEPARAM@@commons/thumb/b/bc/John_Ray_from_NPG.jpg/200px-John_Ray_from_NPG.jpg[/ame]

 

[dezza]

The scientific naming system for animals and plants was systematised by the 18th-century Swedish naturalist Carl von Linné, better known as Carl Linnaeus. He created the hierarchical system of grouping animals and plants and used Latin and Greek names for the groups because these were the international languages of science at the time. Nowadays, non-Latin parts are sometimes used as well (Denversaurus, for instance), but the whole name tends to be Latinised for consistency and to avoid accusations of national bias.
__________________

And Ruffe Slappers are known as Homo femmus monkii

 

[Chris Hammond ( RSPB ACA PAC}]

I would imagine most of us don't use the Latin names for things simply because we aren't Latin. The same reason we call it a spud and not 'An apple of the earth' No?

I can give you the Latin names for a number of birds and animals simply because I can remember a few off the top of my head, however I wouldn't dream of writing or conversing with those names. Other than out of some ill conceived notion of appearing clever there isn't a valid reason for anyone to waste their energy calling it Anguilla anguilla instead of an eel. It's entirely pointless.

 

[dannytaylor]

I would imagine most of us don't use the Latin names for things simply because we aren't Latin. The same reason we call it a spud and not 'An apple of the earth' No?

I can give you the Latin names for a number of birds and animals simply because I can remember a few off the top of my head, however I wouldn't dream of writing or conversing with those names. Other than out of some ill conceived notion of appearing clever there isn't a valid reason for anyone to waste their energy calling it Anguilla anguilla instead of an eel. It's entirely pointless.

Im guilty . I will often call tench "tincas" and i like to refer to eels as anguilla, it sounds cool :wh

 

[Chris Hammond ( RSPB ACA PAC}]

Im guilty . I will often call tench "tincas" and i like to refer to eels as anguilla, it sounds cool :wh

I think that's an entirely different thing though Danny. You're using popular nicknames coined by anglers from the fishes Latin names. The Eel isn't named Anguilla, it's name is Anguilla anguilla and tench are 'Tinca tinca' not 'Tincas'. I might even be guilty of announcing a day's fishing for Exox myself somewhere down the line, however I wouldn't say I'm fishing for 'Esox Luscius' today.

Outside of a valid need, such as clarity in scientific nomenclature, the use of Latin is just pretentious IMO.