In a message dated 05/09/03 05:15:43 GMT Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<<  If there is no attempt to
 understand what people are MEANING  rather than just what they are saying,
 it rapidly gets pointless.  ' >>

What other way do we have in this medium to explain what we mean except
through our words?  As this is a list with contributors from all over the
beekeeping world and is conducted usually in forms of the English language it is up the
contributors clearly to explain what they mean and to avoid accidental
ambiguity.

Readers will need to make allowances for those whose skills in the use of
English are not equal to those of, for example, Jim Fischer.  Equally, writers
will need to keep their communications clear and simple, especially for those
whose first language may not be English.

One of the prime causes of ambiguity is the use of jargon, and it is
difficult to know here where to draw the line.  As a List for existing beekeepers
rather than beginners everybody can be presumed to know what  a nucleus is in
beekeeping terms, but I have little idea of what a Medium or an Illinois might be
although I assume they are particular sizes of box that fit the Langstroth
system.

On the Irish list we recently discovered that a particular contributor's
mails were longer than most readers' attention span and this was a focus of
dissent and acrimony.

So, in summary, I suggest we try to write with clarity, brevity and, above
all, tolerance. Humour helps too sometimes.

Chris

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