Adjective usage
Adjective usage
(OP)
Is there any explanation why we say "ELECTRIC machinery", but "ELECTRICAL engineering" and not vice versa?
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RE: Adjective usage
The suffix "al" is used to convey "pertaining to", "like", or "of the kind".
Anyway, to answer your question: Laziness, as "electric machinery" is incorrect.
RE: Adjective usage
RE: Adjective usage
RE: Adjective usage
RE: Adjective usage
RE: Adjective usage
I have ranted on the subject before. While from a purist's point of view electrical machinary would be more accurate, terms like electric machine, electric motor, electric train etc. are very well accepted/understood terms, even purists will not notice it them using by themselves.
As for an engieer "electrical" is more accepted as it relates the type of field, as explained by others, but a term "electric" would suggest an "electric" or enegetic personality and not type his/her expertize.
However it is more common to hear and accept mechanical pump vs. a mechanic pump. But there can be a "mechanic" describing a person with type of expertize.
It is just the way it is. Languages are dynamic, constantly evolving and rules are sujject to change with time and they do. Dictionaries do not make rules, they just log them as they are made or broken.
RE: Adjective usage
Electrical to me means to do with electricity or electronics.
So an electric engineer would be an engineer that you could plug in and maybe recharge, or maybe somebody who rewired plugs.
Electric engineering would be for example engineering something to plug in and run off the mains.
An electrical machine would be a machine that did things with electricity like voltage regulation, or DC to AC conversion, or that had loads of wires all over the place.
Electric things would simply be things that ran off electricity, like kettles, a fan, etc.
Electrical engineering would be learning about resistors, transistors, logic gates, diodes, capacitors, etc.
You can see that even by my own definitions, which are clear to me, the actual boundaries between the two are fuzzy, as nothing is black and white, it's all shades of grey.
RE: Adjective usage
RE: Adjective usage
RE: Adjective usage
RE: Adjective usage
I love it when people make value judgements without bothering to do the eytmological research. "Electric" as an adjective goes back to the first half of the 17th century.
I suppose all those people who are using French, Spanish, and Italian instead of proper Latin are just lazy too.
Hg
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RE: Adjective usage
RE: Adjective usage
I study Electrical Engineering, and the major is Electric Power Systems. So I think both of them are acceptable. I use English in study as the Secondary language and dont know the essential differents in using between two words. All of you help me alot!
RE: Adjective usage
RE: Adjective usage
electrical engineer
electrician
electric motor mechanic (vs electrial motor mechanic)
Maybe it is just common usage over the years? And, not any one specific rule.
One of thee biggest oxymoronic phrase I can think of is:
"Rules of the English language."
"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
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RE: Adjective usage
But mechanic is someone with mechanical knowledge and mechanical is something driven/operated by mechanism with help of external/internal power.!!