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= April 12 =

== Pronunciation of Theologian: /θi.əˈloʊd͡ʒən/, or /θi.əˈloʊd͡ʒiən/ ? ==

Per [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/theologian Wiktionary], it's pronounced: /θi.əˈloʊd͡ʒən/. The same is true for its pronunciation in the audio of GoogleTranslate. But Wiktionary (mentioned above) also gives a (single) audio, pronouncing: /θi.əˈloʊd͡ʒiən/, unless I don't hear well. Are both forms recognized as a native pronunciation? [[Special:Contributions/~2026-22374-78|~2026-22374-78]] ([[User talk:~2026-22374-78|talk]]) 17:43, 12 April 2026 (UTC)

:Yes. I think of /θi.əˈloʊd͡ʒiən/ as kind of a [[spelling pronunciation]], but it's pretty common. Pronouncing it that way would not mark you as non-native in my experience. [[User:Matt Deres|Matt Deres]] ([[User talk:Matt Deres|talk]]) 18:21, 12 April 2026 (UTC)
::I think of /θi.əˈloʊd͡ʒən/ as a slightly lazy pronunciation of /θi.əˈloʊd͡ʒiən/: my copy of the ''(Compact) Oxford English Dictionary'' (1971 edition) gives the pronuciation as Þ''īo''l''ō''^u'dʒiān. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} [[Special:Contributions/~2026-76101-8|~2026-76101-8]] ([[User talk:~2026-76101-8|talk]]) 20:04, 12 April 2026 (UTC)
::: I'm not sure I trust any pronunciation that doesn't include a single [[schwa]] . [[User:Matt Deres|Matt Deres]] ([[User talk:Matt Deres|talk]]) 20:28, 13 April 2026 (UTC)
::::OED gives /ˌθiːəˈləʊdʒ(ə)n/ thee-uh-LOH-juhn and /ˌθiːəˈləʊdʒiən/ thee-uh-LOH-jee-uhn for British English, and /ˌθiəˈloʊdʒən/ thee-uh-LOH-juhn For American. I have to say the "ee-uhn" pronunciation sounds to my ears like someone has never met the word before and is guessing from the spelling. [[User:DuncanHill|DuncanHill]] ([[User talk:DuncanHill|talk]]) 22:49, 13 April 2026 (UTC)
:::::Guessing the pronunciation of a word from the way it's written? What a crazy thought! — [[User:Kpalion|Kpalion]]^{[[User talk:Kpalion|(talk)]]} 10:04, 15 April 2026 (UTC)
::::::Particularly for such a common word as "theologian". [[User:Wakuran|惑乱 Wakuran]] ([[User talk:Wakuran|talk]]) 11:52, 15 April 2026 (UTC)
:::::::OK, well what I should have said is "guessing without being aware that the i modifies the preceding consonant rather than being pronounced as a distinct vowel, as in mathematician, politician, and pronunciation". Like the j in Swedish sjö. [[User:DuncanHill|DuncanHill]] ([[User talk:DuncanHill|talk]]) 13:48, 15 April 2026 (UTC)

== Temperature vocabulary ==

In Finnish, the following constructions are commonly used when talking about temperatures:
* ''Lämpötila on viisi astetta lämmintä/pakkasta''. (lit. "The temperature is five degrees warm/frost.")
* ''Lämpötila on viisi astetta nollan yläpuolella/alapuolella''. (lit. "The temperature is five degrees above/below zero.")
* ''Lämpötila on viisi astetta pakkasen puolella''. (lit. "The temperature is five degrees below freezing.")
* ''On pakkasta.'' (lit. "It is frost.").
* ''Pakkanen lauhtuu/kiristyy.'' (lit. "Frost becomes milder/tighter.")
* ''On plusasteita/miinusasteita.'' (lit. "There are plus/minus degrees.")


Are there any equivalent constructions in English? Some of these would not work when using Fahrenheit scale, where the zero point is not the feezing point.
--[[User:40bus|40bus]] ([[User talk:40bus|talk]]) 19:50, 12 April 2026 (UTC)

:The second and third examples are standard - if slightly stilted - English. We wouldn't normally use "warm/cool/cold" directly with a numbered temperature and "frost" is not the correct word. We use adjectives to modify temperatures in cases such as where [[wind chill]] or [[humidex]] impacts the experience: "It's a muggy 35C out there". In English, "frost" refers to what's covered in the [[frost|article]]; it's not an adjective or adverb. "Frosty" would be used: "It's frosty out there!". Your fifth example is so different from English I'm not certain what's being conveyed. "Tighter" has no meaning to us when describing temperature. Finally, we might say that "It is minus two outside" or "It is plus five out there", but we would not use the multiple "there are" and we'd omit the degrees as it's normally unambiguous. [[User:Matt Deres|Matt Deres]] ([[User talk:Matt Deres|talk]]) [[User:Matt Deres|Matt Deres]] ([[User talk:Matt Deres|talk]]) 20:12, 12 April 2026 (UTC)
::In UK weather forecasts it was and is not uncommon to hear an expression such as "There will be five degrees of frost", meaning a temperature of 5 degrees below freezing. ''Now'' this means a temperature of minus 5 degrees centigrade: in years gone by it meant (as everyone understood) a temperature of 27 degrees Fahrenheit, which is of course not the same as -5C. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} [[Special:Contributions/~2026-76101-8|~2026-76101-8]] ([[User talk:~2026-76101-8|talk]]) 20:30, 12 April 2026 (UTC)
:::It does go to show that online, when reading comments, I sometimes have to check whether the channel is from the US or not, so that I have an idea whether they using C or F (or the date format). When I see temps over 50, then I assume its in F. I was so shocked that Americans could survive 100 degrees every day in the summer, until I realised they measure temperature differently and that its 37,8c. Same with different measurement systems, date formats, paper sizes, etc. [[User:JuniperChill|JuniperChill]] ([[User talk:JuniperChill|talk]]) 21:25, 12 April 2026 (UTC)
::::Fahrenheit is the American system I have most troubles wrapping my head around. It's both that the degrees are smaller, and the zero level is different. The date format is of course fairly easy to understand, but it still leads to frequent mix-ups. [[User:Wakuran|惑乱 Wakuran]] ([[User talk:Wakuran|talk]]) 11:50, 13 April 2026 (UTC)
:::::Yes, 95.6 % of the World is out of step with the US 4.3% (plus the 0.08% comprising the Bahamas, Belize, Liberia, the Cayman Islands, and Palau, which also still use Fahrenheit). {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} [[Special:Contributions/~2026-76101-8|~2026-76101-8]] ([[User talk:~2026-76101-8|talk]]) 18:55, 13 April 2026 (UTC)
::::::Fahrenheit's finer gradient gives it an advantage over Celsius. ←[[User:Baseball Bugs|Baseball Bugs]] ^{''[[User talk:Baseball Bugs|What's up, Doc?]]''} [[Special:Contributions/Baseball_Bugs|carrots]]→ 20:10, 13 April 2026 (UTC)
:::::::Why is this an advantage? I doubt if anyone human can directly sense a difference of as little as 1 degree Fahrenheit, and if fine gradations are needed, either scale can employ decimal fractions of a degree. Scientists always, and engineers most of the time, use Centigrade because it integrates with all other SI units.
:::::::Being old, I grew up in the UK (and Far East) using Fahrenheit for everyday temperatures, especially weather (though Centigrade for science, etc.), and still need to convert C to F in my head (trivially easy) to know how an air temperature will ''feel'', but that doesn't mean I think F is in any way 'better'. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} [[Special:Contributions/~2026-76101-8|~2026-76101-8]] ([[User talk:~2026-76101-8|talk]]) 22:22, 13 April 2026 (UTC)
::::::::How does Celsius integrate with other SI units? ←[[User:Baseball Bugs|Baseball Bugs]] ^{''[[User talk:Baseball Bugs|What's up, Doc?]]''} [[Special:Contributions/Baseball_Bugs|carrots]]→ 22:43, 13 April 2026 (UTC)
:::::::::It's elephantly described in the article [[International System of Units]]... [[User:Wakuran|惑乱 Wakuran]] ([[User talk:Wakuran|talk]]) 00:09, 14 April 2026 (UTC)
::::::::::How is Celsius dependent on grams and meters, or vice versa? ←[[User:Baseball Bugs|Baseball Bugs]] ^{''[[User talk:Baseball Bugs|What's up, Doc?]]''} [[Special:Contributions/Baseball_Bugs|carrots]]→ 04:19, 14 April 2026 (UTC)
:::::::::::The degree Celsius isn't the SI unit of temperature; that's the [[kelvin]]. It depends on the second, Planck's constant and Boltzmann's constant. The size of a degree Celsius is equal to a kelvin, so for changes in temperature they're equivalent. Fahrenheit not only requires a shift, but also scaling. And meteorologically speaking, having zero at the freezing point of water is more convenient than having it at the freezing point of an eutectic mixture of water and ammonium chloride, as the former is more relevant. [[User:PiusImpavidus|PiusImpavidus]] ([[User talk:PiusImpavidus|talk]]) 11:40, 14 April 2026 (UTC)
::::::::::::It's mostly about the metricists' obsession with powers of 10. ←[[User:Baseball Bugs|Baseball Bugs]] ^{''[[User talk:Baseball Bugs|What's up, Doc?]]''} [[Special:Contributions/Baseball_Bugs|carrots]]→ 13:38, 15 April 2026 (UTC)
::The noun ''[[wikt:pakkanen|pakkanen]]'' in the sentence "Pakkanen kiristyy" does not mean "frost" but "frosty cold", that is, sub-zero cold (where zero = 0°C).  ​‑‑[[User talk:Lambiam#top|Lambiam]] 07:31, 13 April 2026 (UTC)

== Morse code in Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal comics ==

[[File:1775856247-Part4-sitefix.png|thumb|The comic]]
In the [[Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal]] [https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/spheres-part-4 for April 9], [[Terence Tao]] appears keying [[Morse code]].
Can you transcribe it?
Thanks.
--[[User:Error|Error]] ([[User talk:Error|talk]]) 20:08, 12 April 2026 (UTC)
:take that Jenkins ---[[User:Sluzzelin|Sluzzelin]] [[User talk:Sluzzelin|talk]] 20:20, 12 April 2026 (UTC)
{{Resolved|date=April 2026}}


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