6 ms·

OK, so what methodology do you propose for determining whether the word "chattel" is more commonly used in the context of discussing slavery, or is instead used

by drcode 14y ago

OK, so what methodology do you propose for determining whether the word "chattel" is more commonly used in the context of discussing slavery, or is instead used most often when talking about things unrelated to slavery?

JonnieCache 14y ago
The google Ngram viewer: http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=chattel+property%2Cchattel+currency%2Cchattel+slavery&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share= http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=chattel+propert... Currency doesn't even register. Slavery wins by miles.
snowwrestler 14y ago
It doesn't matter how it is used popularly, what matters is what this particular person meant--who is a financial regulator, a field which is full of jargon and terms of art. The course of analysis you're following is like trying to prove programmers don't like allocated memory because they refer to it as "garbage" that needs to be "collected."
tptacek 14y ago
What does this have to do with anything? "Chattel" is a basic legal term; it's used in every state of the US. Rayiner, who is a lawyer, presumably typed his comment with his mouth wide open and his forehead bleeding from being pounded on the desk. There isn't a lawyer in the country who doesn't know what the term means. Presumably, your comments are to a legal professional what the guys who invent their own ridiculous substitution ciphers are to professional cryptographers.
- rayiner 14y ago
  I wouldn't expect many if not most people to know that 'chattel' is a basic legal term. I would generally expect most people not to commit the logical error of assuming that just because two words are commonly used together, whenever one word is used it must be in the context of the other word. If I say: "I had to tape my rims back together so I could see" is it relevant that Google's first completion for the word "rims" is "rims and tires?"

by drcode 14y ago

JonnieCache 14y ago

The google Ngram viewer: http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=chattel+property%2Cchattel+currency%2Cchattel+slavery&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share= http://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=chattel+propert... Currency doesn't even register. Slavery wins by miles.

snowwrestler 14y ago

It doesn't matter how it is used popularly, what matters is what this particular person meant--who is a financial regulator, a field which is full of jargon and terms of art. The course of analysis you're following is like trying to prove programmers don't like allocated memory because they refer to it as "garbage" that needs to be "collected."

tptacek 14y ago

What does this have to do with anything? "Chattel" is a basic legal term; it's used in every state of the US. Rayiner, who is a lawyer, presumably typed his comment with his mouth wide open and his forehead bleeding from being pounded on the desk. There isn't a lawyer in the country who doesn't know what the term means. Presumably, your comments are to a legal professional what the guys who invent their own ridiculous substitution ciphers are to professional cryptographers.

rayiner 14y ago
I wouldn't expect many if not most people to know that 'chattel' is a basic legal term. I would generally expect most people not to commit the logical error of assuming that just because two words are commonly used together, whenever one word is used it must be in the context of the other word. If I say: "I had to tape my rims back together so I could see" is it relevant that Google's first completion for the word "rims" is "rims and tires?"