Re: Glossary of English Terms

I think it is a good idea. Perhaps we could add a section for
abbreviations and accronyms the group uses? I don't know many of them,
and then it becomes quite annoying to decode an e-mail full of such
expressions.

On 3/28/07, Doug Jones <doug_b_jones@mac.com> wrote:
> The W3C has glossaries for technical terms related to its various Groups and
> technologies.
> http://www.w3.org/2003/glossary/
>
> I have not been able to find a glossary of English words used commonly to
> discuss aspects of HTML.
>
> Those involved for years know what they mean when referring to structure or
> presentation or whatever. There are a lot of people now involved in the HTML
> WG that are new to a lot of how things are thought and done. A common
> understanding of basic terms may pre-empt lengthy discussions.
>
> I'd like some feedback on what follows. I am considering creating a wiki
> page - any idea of a good WikiName?
>
>
>
> Doug Jones
> doug_b_jones@mac.com
>
>
>
> Glossary
>
> A glossary of this nature may be superfluous for those who have been working
> with the HTML Specification for years. The HTML WG is attracting an audience
> with members who are not necessarily in the mind-set of the core members.
>
> Purpose: To provide definitions of terms of the English language used within
> W3C Specifications and their discussions. To provide an explanation of the
> definition.
>
> How: To display definitions and sources here. To provide links to existing
> glossaries, such as those of the W3C.
>
> Order: Terms are arranged by relationship to one another, not
> alphabetically.
>
> semantics: the branch of linguistics and logic concerned with meaning.[1]
>
> structure: the arrangement of and relations between the parts or elements of
> something complex.[1]
>
> A document of prose may have chapters, sections within chapters, and
> paragraphs. Certain words, phrases, and titles of other works may be marked
> by the author to be emphasized, emboldened, or italicized. Chapters are an
> obvious part of structure. An emphasized word may not appear to be
> structure, but presentation. However, when an author specifies an emphasis,
> they expect that emphasis to remain regardless of presentational change. In
> other words, whether a document is displayed in Times New Roman or Arial
> does not change the need to emphasize the word the author desired.
>
> presentation: the manner or style in which something is given, offered, or
> displayed.[1]
>
> emphasis: special importance, value, or prominence given to something.[1]
>
> The placement of emphasis changes the meaning of a sentence and thus forms
> an integral part of the content. By emphasizing an entire sentence, it
> becomes clear that the speaker is fighting hard to get the point across.[2]
> A writer usually indicates emphasis with italicized text, although bold
> type, a different color, etc. could be used.
>
> bold: a typeface with thicker strokes than that of surrounding text.
>
> An author may use bold type to draw attention to something. This could be a
> warning or a highlight of a word or value. The words defined in this
> glossary are in bold so the reader may find them easily among the rest of
> the text. A currency total may be in bold on an invoice so the purchaser may
> easily recognize how much they are paying. This is not the same as placing
> emphasis on something, although a writer may chose to embolden what they
> emphasize.
>
> italic: a typeface that is a sloping kind of typeface compared to
> surrounding text.
>
> Certain writing styles (MLA, APA) require some titles to books, films, and
> other works to be in italics. Words foreign to the language being used may
> be italicized. This is not the same as placing emphasis on something. The
> author or a writing style may require the use of italics.
>
> underline: a line drawn under a word or phrase, esp. for emphasis.[1]
>
> By definition, underlining may be used for emphasis. Some writing styles
> (APA) allow the underline to be used to identify book titles.
>
> abbreviation: a shortened form of a word or phrase.[1]
>
> Examples include Dr. (doctor), abbr. (abbreviation), WWW (World Wide Web)
> and UK (United Kingdom).
>
> acronym: a word formed from the initial letters of other words. [1]
>
> Examples include radar (radio detection and ranging) and laser (light
> amplification by stimulated emission of radiation).
>
>
> [1] New Oxford American Dictionary (Dictionary app from Apple, described in
> Wikipedia here:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Oxford_American_Dictionary)
> [2] paraphrased from Web Applications 1.0 Working Draft — 23 March 2007
> http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps/current-work/#adoptionAgency
>
>
> W3C Glossary - http://www.w3.org/2003/glossary/
>
>

Received on Wednesday, 28 March 2007 21:26:31 UTC