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There are no Zebras in Indian subcontinent; we accepted Anglo term. Cross-Walk(even Pedestrian) is a better term than Zebra-Crossing; for kids though, Zebra he

There are no Zebras in Indian subcontinent; we accepted Anglo term. Cross-Walk(even Pedestrian) is a better term than Zebra-Crossing; for kids though, Zebra helps. Edit: English were in world over making colonies across Afro-Asian countries. https://www.thehindu.com/in-school/sh-science/The-zebra-in-our-crossings/article16084479.ece https://www.thehindu.com/in-school/sh-science/The-zebra-in-o... Has anyone seen a Zebra cross a zebra-crossing? Only happens in England.

dkdbejwi383 6y ago
No zebras in the UK, either
corin_ 6y ago
A zebra crossing is a specific type of pedestrian crossing with specific rules different to those of other types. It needs a non-generic name (and look) so people understand how it works. Sure you could change your suggestion to something like "non-light controlled pedestrian right of way crossing" but I'm glad we say Zebra instead!
abdullahkhalids 6y ago
I am not sure what to make of this argument. We adopted English, the language from the British. The standard colonial oppression arguments already start from why use a foreign Language. They used zebra crossing (even though there are no Zebras in the UK either, I think), so we used it. Now the new argument is that the cultural imperialism of the US is forcing us to change the term again. Sure, the term "cross-walk" sort of makes more sense than zebra crossing, but not enough that you don't need it defined for you the first time you encounter it. So, it is not such a precise and great term, as you almost say, that one can ignore the cultural imperialism argument. Both arguments (colonialism and cultural imperialism) are distinct and can be treated separately.
- alias_neo 6y ago
  We do have Zebra, have you never heard of a Zoo? (I jest; you are of course correct). As for cross-walk making more sense; Zebra crossing are so named because of the black and white stripes they comprise of, they require you to have seen one, yes, but, I'd argue that without context "cross-walk" is no more descriptive. Collectively, we call our crossings (Toucan, Pelican, Zebra, Pegasus), "road crossings". They are so named due to their properties; Toucan because "two (types of user) can" cross there, Pelican (formerly pelicon) because it stands for PEdestrian LIght C[O]Ntrolled crossing), Zebra for its stripes, and Pegasus due to the buttons being accessible at heights suitable for those riding horses.
  - Normille 6y ago
    Another one that I've seen on reCraptchas is "Boardwalk". If it had not been for the song "Under the boardwalk" I'd have had no idea what that was referring to. We call it a "Pier" round these parts. Taking Crosswalk as a reference, Boardwalk sounds like it should therefore refer to a place where you walk on some boards... such as where there are roadworks... or a wooden bridge... or outside the saloon in a Western.
    - curryst 6y ago
      In fairness, I don't think this is well known in the US. My impression was always that a boardwalk is just a pier that no longer has any use for naval stuff, so they built a carnival on it. Pier is a more familiar term to me. I think I've only heard the term boardwalk in relation to some place in New Jersey.
      - Normille 6y ago
        Hmmm... "Pier" doesn't really have any naval connotations in Uk English. Somewhere ships [naval or otherwise] tie up would be a "Jetty". A pier would usually suggest what you're describing as a 'boardwalk' -- found in a seaside town, with cafés, amusements and other entertainments on it and lots of people strolling about eating ice cream.

dkdbejwi383 6y ago

No zebras in the UK, either

corin_ 6y ago

A zebra crossing is a specific type of pedestrian crossing with specific rules different to those of other types. It needs a non-generic name (and look) so people understand how it works. Sure you could change your suggestion to something like "non-light controlled pedestrian right of way crossing" but I'm glad we say Zebra instead!

abdullahkhalids 6y ago

I am not sure what to make of this argument. We adopted English, the language from the British. The standard colonial oppression arguments already start from why use a foreign Language. They used zebra crossing (even though there are no Zebras in the UK either, I think), so we used it. Now the new argument is that the cultural imperialism of the US is forcing us to change the term again. Sure, the term "cross-walk" sort of makes more sense than zebra crossing, but not enough that you don't need it defined for you the first time you encounter it. So, it is not such a precise and great term, as you almost say, that one can ignore the cultural imperialism argument. Both arguments (colonialism and cultural imperialism) are distinct and can be treated separately.

alias_neo 6y ago
We do have Zebra, have you never heard of a Zoo? (I jest; you are of course correct). As for cross-walk making more sense; Zebra crossing are so named because of the black and white stripes they comprise of, they require you to have seen one, yes, but, I'd argue that without context "cross-walk" is no more descriptive. Collectively, we call our crossings (Toucan, Pelican, Zebra, Pegasus), "road crossings". They are so named due to their properties; Toucan because "two (types of user) can" cross there, Pelican (formerly pelicon) because it stands for PEdestrian LIght C[O]Ntrolled crossing), Zebra for its stripes, and Pegasus due to the buttons being accessible at heights suitable for those riding horses.
- Normille 6y ago
  Another one that I've seen on reCraptchas is "Boardwalk". If it had not been for the song "Under the boardwalk" I'd have had no idea what that was referring to. We call it a "Pier" round these parts. Taking Crosswalk as a reference, Boardwalk sounds like it should therefore refer to a place where you walk on some boards... such as where there are roadworks... or a wooden bridge... or outside the saloon in a Western.
  - curryst 6y ago
    In fairness, I don't think this is well known in the US. My impression was always that a boardwalk is just a pier that no longer has any use for naval stuff, so they built a carnival on it. Pier is a more familiar term to me. I think I've only heard the term boardwalk in relation to some place in New Jersey.
    - Normille 6y ago
      Hmmm... "Pier" doesn't really have any naval connotations in Uk English. Somewhere ships [naval or otherwise] tie up would be a "Jetty". A pier would usually suggest what you're describing as a 'boardwalk' -- found in a seaside town, with cafés, amusements and other entertainments on it and lots of people strolling about eating ice cream.