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We call them “spiral staircases” yet rarely do they actually contain a single spiral - but they do have a helix. I guess “helical staircase” was just too much f
by madaxe_again 6mo ago
We call them “spiral staircases” yet rarely do they actually contain a single spiral - but they do have a helix. I guess “helical staircase” was just too much for people to care about as the term embedded in the 1600s. Previously they’d been winding stairs, screw stairs, and earlier yet just a “vice”, so common were they. Weird how language adapts to what’s easy rather than what’s correct.
- cheschire 6mo agoIf some language conveys meaning successfully, it ultimately doesn’t matter what the rules are.
- technothrasher 6mo agoThe old prescriptive vs descriptive linguistic battle rears its head once again.
- nkrisc 6mo agoThe only languages that don't change are ones that no one uses anymore.
- nkrisc 6mo ago> Weird how language adapts to what’s easy rather than what’s correct. It’s not weird at all, it’s quite sensible. The purpose of language between people is not to produce correct sounds, it’s to facilitate some other activity or intent, so people will tend towards whatever manner of language makes achieving their goals the easiest. It’s the same reason desire paths form: it’s less effort.
- layer8 6mo agoA helix counts as a type of spiral: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_spirals https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_spirals It also looks like a spiral when looking up or down.