Use of the word: marriage

[Magic Man]

Keeping with the sporting theme, I've seen many stadiums that don't have a running track, let alone one the length of a Greek stadion.

Don't you mean "stadia"? Oh, wait, no, that's right, words change over time, don't they? Never mind.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Don't you mean "stadia"? Oh, wait, no, that's right, words change over time, don't they? Never mind.

"Stadia" is the plural of stadium and stadion, so I thought it would confuse matters if I used the word.

 

[Dunemeister]

It seems to me that "marriage" is simply the noun form of the word "marry" which means simply "join" in Engish -- whatever else it may have meant in precursor languages. So a marriage is a joining. To what purpose? Well, for that we need context. I can marry two ends of a pipe by welding them together. I can marry two ends of rope by tying them. Or (as a priest) I might marry two people in some sort of bond -- let's call it marriage.

 

[Magic Man]

"Stadia" is the plural of stadium and stadion, so I thought it would confuse matters if I used the word.

Yes, but see how many times you see people use "stadia" rather than "stadiums". In fact, as I'm typing this, it's telling me that "stadia" is wrong and "stadiums" is right. Amazing how that happens, huh?

 

[Dream Angel]

I have to respectfully disagree. Women in marriages are still called "wives." Now how has THAT term been re-defined? Terms like property procurement and dowries come to mind here...........

Nowadays, a wife is more of a companion, but married women never changed the title.

I think people get to hung up on words these days - let people call it what they like. To me if it is between a man and a woman, I say marriage, if it is a homosexual relationship, I say partnership or civil union. That is me personally. As long as the two involved are happy, does it really matter what it is called?? Call it a life sentence if you like (but then that is more associated with prison...so you would get argument there too! ). By the way - I get that from the saying "The shortest sentence is I am, The longest sentence is I do!"

 

[MysticSang'ha]

I think people get to hung up on words these days - let people call it what they like. To me if it is between a man and a woman, I say marriage, if it is a homosexual relationship, I say partnership or civil union. That is me personally. As long as the two involved are happy, does it really matter what it is called?? Call it a life sentence if you like (but then that is more associated with prison...so you would get argument there too! ). By the way - I get that from the saying "The shortest sentence is I am, The longest sentence is I do!"

LOL That's pretty funny.

DA, the reason why I believe it's imperative that homosexual couples who make a lifelong commitment to each other - and if the government agrees to officially recognize these unions - that they should be able to use the exact same terminology as heterosexual couples use. Personal preference aside, this is a legal issue.

We have tax forms that say, "single", "married", "divorced", "widowed." If a homosexual couple is granted the same protections as promised by the government, which box do they check? It sets a very real problem if couples do not want to be charged with fraud.

If what is in a name isn't really all that important, then what's the hang-up for extending these same protections and liberties to (I'll say this again) an entire adult, rational, and law-abiding community?

 

[Inky]

Or "bicycle" - "two wheels." If it has three wheels, the two roots "bi" (two) and "cycl" cannot be combined together to describe anything but the two-wheeled thingy.

In the town I live in, which is known for being a haven for cyclists, I see three-wheeled bicycles on a regular basis--they're called tandem bicycles. I also see ones with four or five wheels, and everyone calls them bicycles and nobody gets confused or has communication problems because of it. In fact, if you called a tandem bike a "tricycle" it would really confuse people, because that word more commonly refers to a wheeled transport device with one wheel in the front and two side-by-side in the back, and a tandem bike has three wheels in a line from front to back.