Northern Hemisperism in USians

[beso]

Why are people from the USA so often prone to referring to time periods in seasonal terminology?

Surely they realise that referring to " the summer of 2011" is ridiculously ambiguous in a global sense yet even journalists will persist with using such expressions when posting online.

I don't see this kind of ignorance from people in other parts of the Northern Hemisphere.

[naomi24]

I think he means the January and February bits would be 2012 - not 2011.

[beso]

Zacs-Master //
Erm Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb....where's the gap,that makes it non contiguous? //

I asked for"Winter of 2011"

November - December 2011 and January - February 2011.

These are two non-contiguous periods. Which one is the "winter of 2011"?

[beso]

I strongly suspect that a vast number of people in the USA don't even realise that the seasons are different in the southern hemisphere.

[Mosaic]

I am deeply impressed by your skills of debate Beso, so much so that I now see the error of my ways and will only endorse writings that reflect with equanimity local perceptions of time in every part of the globe.

PMSL

[Zacs-Master]

Ah, The mists have cleared. Then yes I agree that UNLESS the author makes the location clear then it is ambiguous, however the OP refers to the US and so I agree that if it isn't clear that they are referring to the US it could be confusing. The Pennsylvania example is a bad one tho as its obviously the US. A single snapshot sentence is useless as we cannot see whether the author has set up the story geographically in some other way. Still not sure why the question is in R&S tho.

[beso]

My point is that seasonal references to time period in a global context is ridiculous yet those in the USA routinely make use of them.

Despite the obvious difficulties some of the British also seem to have grasping the concept they don't tend to use such ambiguous expressions.

[beso]

Zacs-Master //Still not sure why the question is in R&S tho. //

Granted. It was meant for Society and Culture but I got it wrong.

[Zacs-Master]

"Despite the obvious difficulties some of the British also seem to have grasping the concept they don't tend to use such ambiguous expressions"

Tut tut, if you're criticising the English language, take care not to be hypocritical. Punctuation is as important as geographical ambiguity.

[THECORBYLOON]

When you say 2011, not everyone uses the same calendar so who's ignorant now?

[Mosaic]

Good point Corby - 1433 we are then....

[sandyRoe]

Do they think their country the Omphalos, the centre of the world?

[dr b]

Think of the song and book titles that will have to be re-written. "It was the summer of '69, at least north of 20 degrees latitude." "The Lion in Winter, up here."

[beso]

Clearly 2011 is not a Hiraj date.

Moreover my posts are in English and hence it is reasonable to assume the Gregorian calendar.

[beso]

"It was the summer of '69"

I thought this was a reference to sweaty oral sex.

[THECORBYLOON]

You are talking about usage of words in a global sense, so you can not have it both ways.

[beso]

"Punctuation is as important as geographical ambiguity."

Rubbish. Many aspects of traditional punctuation usage are rapidly being deprecated.

[dr b]

It's 4710 in the Chinese calendar. OK, so now we have "Summer of '69 according to the Gregorian calendar, as long as you're far enough north."

[beso]

It's 4710 in the Chinese calendar.

Do my posts look like PinYin?

[dr b]

Sorry, but the Chinese comprise 1/7 of humanity. We cannot exhibit antiSinoCentrism. It would be unseemly.

[THECORBYLOON]

You may not be using Pinyin but I'm not sure that "Northern Hemisperism in USians" is in English.