#and chances are your favorite binary dichotomy does too

[slenderfirebolt]

Not just nonbinary, anti-binary. Im against all forms of dichotomies in general, things seem to never work. Also a bit anti-categorical in general but thats a discussion for another day

[rebeccathenaturalist]

Common Vs. Scientific Names: Which is Better?

Originally posted on my website at https://rebeccalexa.com/common-vs-scientific-names-which-is-better/.

I have a confession to make: my memory for scientific names is spotty at best. My brain is like that dog with selective hearing, who will ignore you when you try to get them to come back inside, but practically teleports to the kitchen when you say the word “bacon”. Sometimes I can rattle off binomial nomenclature with nary an error, but it’s all too common for the mental Rolodex in my head to fail to flip to the right card, even when the organism I’m talking about is right in front of me. (It happens with common names, too, so this isn’t just a binary issue of common vs. scientific names, and there’s a good chance that my AuDHD is at least partly to blame.)

“You want the scientific name for African painted dogs? Sure, let me just pull that up for yo–BALL!!!!!!!”

I would probably retain a lot more of at least some group of living beings if I had gotten a degree in biology or botany or some related field, where a lot of your foundational work requires you to not just memorize but use family, genus, and species names on a regular basis. Because my natural history education (outside of my Oregon Naturalist training) has largely been autodidactic, and relied quite a bit on layperson-friendly scientific texts, I didn’t have that pressure on me to constantly spout off formalized Latin. Of course, I have my favorite species–Canis latrans (coyote), Thuja plicata (western red cedar), Lactarius deliciosus (saffron milkcap) easily come to mind. But most of the time I just have to pull out my phone to look up the scientific names of what I’m looking at, even if I’ve done so before.

(Read the rest of the article under the cut.)

Certainly there are people whose professions require them to know those scientific names as well as their own, and the immense amount of time they spend studying their subjects mean they end up remembering both common and scientific names out of sheer familiarity. Moreover, common names vary from language to language, and so binomial nomenclature is a common tongue among scientists around the world studying the same group of organisms.

I’m not in that milieu, of course. Does this hurt my work as a naturalist? Not really. Most of the time I am engaging with the general public, and while there are certainly my fellow nerds who love learning about common vs. scientific names, most of my students, readers, and tour participants are content with the common names of various life forms. I imagine I would have a tougher time in an academic setting where I’m primarily working with people for whom Latin genus and species are (metaphorical) chapter and verse.

That being said, I think that “common vs. scientific names” is an unnecessary dichotomy. Both have their uses, to include in science communication with the general public. Laypeople are more likely to recognize and remember common names in their language because they use words they’ve already encountered. However, scientific names require them to memorize terms in Latin, a dead language that (unlike yours truly) most people did not take for their language requirements in high school. Recognition and retention are going to be tougher in an unfamiliar language, and so common names are generally more user-friendly.

As a naturalist, while common names are easier for me to pull out of my spotty memory, scientific names are crucial for me to understand the relationships among various beings. Knowing two very similar species are in the same genus tells me that they are close cousins, rather than products of convergent evolution. Understanding that there are over 30,000 species within the family Asteraceae means that I’m very often right when I surmise a new-to-me wildflower “just kinda looks like an Asteraceae“. And while I’m not going to bore a casual tour group by spouting a bunch of binomial terms, it is nice to pull one out now and then, especially if pointing out those aforementioned relationships among species.

So really in the end, the common vs. scientific names thing isn’t so much a case of either/or, but both/and. Each has its own strengths and uses, and you’re certainly welcome to make use of both as you see fit. But don’t stress if you can’t remember every scientific name of every living thing you run across. For the everyday naturalist, learn the names of your nature neighbors that make the most sense to you, and are best for connecting to these amazing beings around you.

Did you enjoy this post? Consider preordering my book The Everyday Naturalist, taking one of my online foraging and natural history classes or hiring me for a guided nature tour, or checking out my other articles! You can even buy me a coffee here!

[thefugitivemango]

FFAF; unfortunately I’m unsure which muses are yours, so let’s solve that :) can you give me a paragraph summing up each of them? Feel free to add in why you like them so much!

Sure thing! I could talk about my characters all day! I’m like that mom at the park that bombards other moms with pictures of her kids! In true mom fashion, I’ll even talk about them in their “age order”! It’s a lengthy answer, but you asked for it! Literally!

Bey’ron Everblaze ( @lordbeyron ) is one of my oldest and most complex characters. He’s gone through a few rewrites and adjustments, but his main core themes have always been cunning, pride, and a lust for power - and all these shine through in his current and hopefully final iteration. A renown Sin’dorei Magister and member of the esteemed Sun Council, Bey’ron sees himself as something of a puppetmaster on the political stage of Quel’Thalas. While he wouldn’t say it aloud, his sights have long been set on becoming the Sun King. And everything he does moves him in that direction. I love playing Bey’ron because of how others react to his haughty self-aggrandizing, his smug confidence, and his condescending tone. But those who look beyond or wade through his douche-baggery often find something in Bey’ron they can relate to - good or bad.

Argonas the Ironclad ( @argonas ) is a Draenei Vindicator and poster-child for the Light’s Justice! As lawful-good as my characters come, Argonas seeks to protect his people and advance the Light’s design to bless Azeroth, and all worlds beyond it. In his own mind, he’s a paragon! But in reality, he’s not without his shortcomings; grief over losing his beloved wife Sinafay ( @sinafay1 ) plague his motivations as of late. And his acute xenophobia makes it difficult for him to forge relationships with non-Draenei. I love playing Argonas because it’s such an interesting mindset to step into. When does lawful good become more damaging than helpful? How does zealotry undermine purity? And how far over the line can blind faith drive someone? I have a lot of fun exploring these questions and more through playing Argonas!

Gattius Starfrost ( @gattius-starfrost ), formerly Gattius Lightmourn, is a Sin’dorei doctor and Blood Knight reservist. His story began as a story of coping with great loss. His beloved partner Alteris was taken from him during the Pandaria campaign, and he had a difficult time coming to terms with it. But through delving into duties as a medic of a military organization, and reconnecting with his childhood friend (and now beloved wife, @syrielle ), Gattius is proof that helping others also helps one’s self. Playing him is a lot of fun because of how his values and flaws collide. He’s a doctor who chain-smokes like a chimney, supportive of his wife’s political goals though hates the Magistry, feels strongly for many people but regards himself a strong proponent of monogamy, and often lets his good intentions get derailed by his own jealousy. All in all, Gattius is among my favorite characters to write!

Avehi the Adamant ( @avehi-the-adamant ) is easily my favorite character on my roster. The dichotomy of a Draenei Death Knight has long intrigued me! Also a Vindicator like Argonas, Avehi’s path took an abrupt left turn when she died in the Plaguelands serving alongside the Argent Dawn. But her story didn’t end with her death - it was only the beginning! Now an abomination in the eyes of the Light she once so devoutly served, Avehi struggles with maintaining a connection with her fellow Draenei as well as contending with their mass mentality and belief system which casts her out. She’s been especially fun to play and write recently, ramping up into the upcoming Shadowlands expansion! So closely tied to the afterlife, Avehi’s picked up on disturbances beyond the veil. Her investigation has led her to concede on some of the more unsavory powers Death Knights possess in her pursuit of a truth most mortals find too outlandish to believe! As I said, she’s my absolute favorite character at the moment, and I love every chance and opportunity (or excuse) to play and write her!

Brent Sunborn ( @brent-sunborn ), aka Brentius Lor’aran, is an antagonist character written up during my Phoenix Guard days. A former Farstrider who fled Quel’Thalas after the Scourge Invasion, Brent got heavily involved in the Twilight’s Hammer cult. After playing his villainous role in the Guard’s story towards the end of Legion, Brent was reborn as a Void Elf Ghostblade! The fun thing about Brent is his youth. To him, things have always been very binary - good or bad, black or white. But through not only his tenure as a “PG Bad Guy”, but well beyond to even current storylines, he’s learning more and more that things aren’t always one thing or another. Coming to terms with those layers and gradients has been a journey for him. As of late, he’s struggling with adapting to the fall of the final Old God, N’Zoth, and the undoing of the Twilight’s Hammer cult he’s been a part of for so long! Despite now living through TWO end-game scenarios for him, Brent’s story is still very much building up! However, most of it happens in writing and planned interaction. The edgy loner Void Elf Rogue troupe doesn’t play well in-game for walk-ups, I’m afraid. x.x

Grakkar Gorefang ( @grakkar-gorefang ) is an old Mag’har Orc, facing the decline of his life. In his prime, he was a Warsong Raider of great skill, strength, and speed. And while he still possesses those traits, his advanced age is catching up to him every day. Hailing from alternate Draenor, Grakkar was a soldier of the Iron Horde. But following Gul’dan’s assumption of command, he renounced the fel-corrupt organization and fought alongside his Frostwolf mate Neela once more to see Draenor free of tyranny. At least... until the advent of the Lightbound Draenei. Losing his beloved Neela during that dark and terrible time for Draenor, he found comfort and companionship in an unlikely place - alternate Sinafay! ( @sinafay-the-defiant ). Opposing the oppression the Draenei had turned on their Orcish neighbors, Sinafay, Neela, and Grakkar worked together to liberate Orcs taken from their homes and forced to adhere to the Light. Now having escaped alternate Draenor, the two of them live together on Azeroth raising their newborn daughter - named after Neela, their beloved friend and partner who brought them together. Grakkar’s been fun to play as a character unbound by the factional divide. While the Horde saved him from alternate Draenor, he has no strong allegiances to it. And given he’s in love with a Draenei, that’s probably for the best! Still, playing and writing him through the Battle for Azeroth story line has been an interesting and fun experience!

Dahlyah Grimshatter ( @dahlyah-grimshatter ) is a young and outgoing Dark Iron Bounty Hunter. She built her martial experience as an Anvilrage Reservist. She moved on from simple soldiering to become a Mountaineer when the Dark Iron fought back against the Blackrock orcs and Black Dragonflight. But after the fall of Emperor Thaurissan and subsequent rise of Queen Moira Thaurissan, which led to the Dark Iron nation becoming part of the Alliance, Dahlyah separated from formal military service to go freelance! Her father’s something of an antagonist in her story, despite being largely absent. But more will come of that soon, to be sure. She’s good-natured, friendly and amicable most of the time. But once she’s on the job, her fiery Dark Iron blood takes over, and she becomes quite relentless and aggressive! She’s rarely without her trusted hunting companion and best friend, Ridley - a Dark Iron Bloodhound!  Dahlyah is a relatively new character of mine, and one I’m eager to flesh out! I’ve always had a love for and interest in the Dark Iron Dwarves since I started playing World of Warcraft, so I was absolutely thrilled when they became a playable race! I’m very excited to play her more and build up relationships and stories for her!

Finally, Tyrellius Duskfury ( @tyrellius ) is a sin’dorei Demon Hunter looking to reintegrate back into society. He’s an older elf who has experienced a great deal in his long life. Formerly a merchant and caravan runner, he became a Royal Guard to help protect his homeland. After the Scourge destroyed the Sunwell, he followed Prince Sunstrider loyally, and became a Blood Knight. Later, he was selected to serve Lord Illidan in an effort to strengthen ties between Prince Sunstrider and the Demon Hunter. He became an Illidari, and fought tooth and nail against the Legion! Now, with the wars against the Legion, Old Gods, and Alliance coming to a close, he’s struggling to rejoin society as peacefully as he can, despite the demons of his past he - literally - carries with him! Tyrellius is my newest RP character, rolled up and fleshed out in just the past 2-3 weeks as of this posting! I’m excited to play him, and build up interactions and relationships to better help his story unfold!

Whew! That was a long one! Thanks @unabashedrebel for the ask! ^^