Comments on: On the geometry of street signs http://concretenonsense.wordpress.com/2009/07/13/on-the-geometry-of-street-signs/ A group blog about mathematics Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:53:01 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Alexander Ellis http://concretenonsense.wordpress.com/2009/07/13/on-the-geometry-of-street-signs/#comment-306 Alexander Ellis Tue, 14 Jul 2009 07:00:48 +0000 http://concretenonsense.wordpress.com/?p=512#comment-306 Omar: I like your suggestion of failing to ignore the "wrong-language word." Someone who knows some French should be able to modify this into a good joke... Omar: I like your suggestion of failing to ignore the “wrong-language word.” Someone who knows some French should be able to modify this into a good joke…

]]> By: Omar http://concretenonsense.wordpress.com/2009/07/13/on-the-geometry-of-street-signs/#comment-305 Omar Tue, 14 Jul 2009 03:14:40 +0000 http://concretenonsense.wordpress.com/?p=512#comment-305 Well, they do make sense in French. How silly of me to say otherwise. For example "Rue Wellington St" announces a street whose name is Wellington St. Presumably it's named after some street in some English speaking country, and not after any Wellington. Well, they do make sense in French. How silly of me to say otherwise. For example “Rue Wellington St” announces a street whose name is Wellington St. Presumably it’s named after some street in some English speaking country, and not after any Wellington.

]]> By: Omar http://concretenonsense.wordpress.com/2009/07/13/on-the-geometry-of-street-signs/#comment-304 Omar Tue, 14 Jul 2009 03:12:57 +0000 http://concretenonsense.wordpress.com/?p=512#comment-304 The signs definitely mean something in English but are odd: "rue Wellington St"? Why should I feel remorse or regret for Wellington St? In French, as far as my French goes, they don't make any sense. I'm not sure I agree the signs are elegant, they seem to be wrong in both languages. (And yes, I am kidding. By the way, maybe your commenters can also come up with examples of other pairs of languages where the word for street --or avenue, or road, etc.-- in one is a word in the other as well?) The signs definitely mean something in English but are odd: “rue Wellington St”? Why should I feel remorse or regret for Wellington St?

In French, as far as my French goes, they don’t make any sense.

I’m not sure I agree the signs are elegant, they seem to be wrong in both languages.

(And yes, I am kidding. By the way, maybe your commenters can also come up with examples of other pairs of languages where the word for street –or avenue, or road, etc.– in one is a word in the other as well?)

]]>