So in answer to the original question and since we both know what we mean...

...Yes, Crazy Tarzan, I would love some "Y" Blade macro algae for my new refugium.  Are you going to be at the next meeting?

I agree we should know and use the latin names of everything and calling them such.  Therefore we should all be speaking latin.  Let's do away with english today.

The Latin name for fish, algae and everything else are a great way to make yourself understood exactly.  I don't have a califlower coral, I have a Dendronephthya.  I don't have Sunpolys I have Tubastraea.  It is absolutely correct to call these by their latin names.

BUTT!!!  If I'm talking to a tax client I have here rather than to Adam, Mark, Carl, etc. they don't know what I'm talking about.

"Did you happen to see the new Euphyllia Parancora I have in the tank downstairs."

"The new what?"

"The new Euphyllia Parancora."

""

"The new Hammer Coral"

"Oh that thing with all the green tentacles with hammer looking things on the end?"

"Yes That"

In my opinion it's not only snobbery, but boarding on rude to talk to people that don't understand in terms you know they won't understand.  It's just talking down to them.

So in my opinion while it is proper for us to use those terms amongst ourselves there is no reason not to use the laymans terms with others and even among ourselves if we chose to.  This is exaclty the way it is in many other technical fields.  I tell my clients that they got additional child tax credit, not that their 8812 really helped them out this year.

Thanks Cortney and Carl.  That is pretty much what I would have said as well.  I agree with all that you said, so here is my idea.  Well it isn't my idea, but I also believe it to be a good idea.  Wouldn't it be great to start using latin names all the time, so that they would sound common?  I think we are already starting that with lots of corals.  Ever been to the pet store with a spouse or friend who looks at the price tags and says "what the heck is a pose ill a pour huh?".  On the other hand, I've been blown away by a 6 year old who know every scientific name for every poison dart frog.  If I had't known the names as well, I don't think she would have had a clue what frogs I was talking about.  So hopefully Shane's little girl will say "look at the pretty labrids daddy", instead of "look at the pretty wrasse daddy".  Oh yes, and poor little Natalie, she will always learn to call them clownfish, but it's okay  .

I guess I for one am thankful that many large recongnizable animals are known for their scientific names, and never aquired other common names in English. We shouldn't fear that which is foreign, we should only try to understand it.

Adam 

I'll have to agree with Jon on this one that people are basically lazy with regards to language.  While I was in Germany, with other Americans, we spoke a mixture of english and german, depending on which word was shorter or had the least number of sylables.  It wasn't anything that we all sat down and decided on, it just happened.  Why say "apartment" when you could say "wohnung"?  As long as you were understood.  Plus a lot of the coral and fish terms that I know come from the LFS.  If I see a fish in a tank and can match it to "yellow tang", that clicks.  Reading online about acropora or other"big" words, doesn't give me a mental picture, whereas grape algae or bubble algae gives me something to work with.

Just my $.015!

Brian

Adam, I think that the answer to your question is very complex in it's lack of complexity. All languages have their own dialects with their own unique slang words. For example, (I learned this on VH1's One Hit Wonders last night) the Musical Youth had a hit in the 80' called Pass The Dutchie. Well, Dutchie is English slang for cooking pot with the latter of those words being the effective term. So, "Pass The Pot". Can you believe that they were only like 8-13 years old singing that? Ah, Rhastaman.

Anywho, we arrogant Americans especially love our words. We love to keep them simple when we want to (i.e., Coke instead of Coca Cola, car instead of automobile, totally rad instead of quite exhilarating) and we love to make up new words when we cannot remember one that would be effective in a sentence, phrase or expression. Such as doohickey, thingamabob or gizmo. These are words added to the dictionary if you can believe it. Try and do a spell check (spelling checker) and see.

Our society (and we are not unlike other peoples) gets comfortable with certain words. It's a matter of what sounds good to our ears and what is convenient to us. If we like a Latin name, we may use it or use a portion of it like tang, acropora, and xenia. But look at so many of the other corals that are commonized such as mushroom, trumpet coral, modern coral, toadstool leather, etc. It comes down to what does it look like or what will it remind me of so that I won't forget the word when I am in a group and trying to act like I know what they are.

Perhaps utilizing Latin names for everything would make our society more exact and precise. But that would take a lot of effort, and effort makes our brain hurt. There are many idealists who will always use the Latin names for the creatures in their systems and that is OK. In fact I admire your desire to be in the Ultra Geek Club as opposed to us Common Fish Geeks.

In the end, I have said nothing. Which was the intended point of my attempt to offer my own personal clarification of modern language and it's idioms.

I have a question for everyone, but I'll direct it to Carl because I know he'll give me a good answer.

Carl- I've always been curious to know why people don't like using Latin names for algae or for fish.  People certainly don't have trouble with Acropora, Xenia and about every other coral.  And some fish like Black and White Heniochus are more commonly called by their latin name than they are by their common name (Poor Man's Whimple Fish) and people don't have a problem saying Tang. 
I do agree with Carl that a lot of people use scientific names to sound smart.  And I remember the first time our club had Dana Riddle visit us and I didn't understand a third of what he said.  But after having seen him several times since then, I think he just talks that way because he IS smart.  I also think people like Todd Gardner don't care what people think of them, he isn't trying to impress you, but he is impressive to me.

So I'm not saying anything is good or bad about stuff, but it is of interest to me. Why is it a big deal with some things, but not with others? 

Adam