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Frank Cotolo
August 31, 2010 |
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Sometimes lesser controversies arise amid the swarm of the big ones. People
gather in the thousands and march, protest, shout, carry firearms and wave
signs of malcontent about certain things while other things get so little
attention we hardly know they still dig deeply into our social scrotum.
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Summer is over and now comes autumn.
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Or is it fall?
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Have you thought about the fact that through the decades the season to come
upon this hemisphere next has two names?
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Which do you say? A) Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring
B) Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring
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My guess is A. When you think of the four seasons in order, you use the word
"fall," not autumn.
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It is about time this controversial issue has come to resolution. We need to
make a decision about which we will use for the season after summer.
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For one, it is only fair to the other seasons. Why does each of them have a
singular title? Should we give the other three seasons another name each to
make it all even?
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For two, the word "fall" as a title also shares other definitions, making it
confusing. If someone says to you, "I had a bad fall," do they mean they had a
rotten autumn or they tripped and tumbled to the ground?
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What about if they say, "I hope I do not fall." Can this be interpreted to
mean the person hopes he or she does not have a season after winter?
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Last week, a child in a grade-school class was asked: "Are all humans
Caucasian?" The child answered, "No. Summer black." Obviously, the teacher knew
that the child misused the title of the hot season because "summer" has no other
meaning.
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And winter? No word is more definitive. Well, maybe some are as definitive but
no other words describe cold and snow and bitter winds better without ever
adding other words to a sentence using the word "winter". This is one fine noun.
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