standardised terms

[Ben Gash]

This is an attempt for us to get together and sort out what we actually mean. For example, the current thread on the difference between modern and traditional wushu is an illustration of the problems we have. Half the stuff doesn't link together because everyone is working from a different understanding of what wushu means.
Wushu means martial arts. Therefore traditional wushu embraces the whole range of CMA. Traditional Wushu = TCMA . I still meet experienced martial artists who seem to think that traditional Wushu is some rarely seen longfist style.
On the flip side, many people are using wushu in it's proper sense, but others are still using wushu to mean contemporary/standardised wushu, so it can be hard to tell what people mean.
A similar conflict arises between San Shou and San Soo.
Anyone else got any input?

[GeneChing]

Standardization of terms isn't really possible unless we use the chinese characters. Even then, you run into problems. We can't even agree on how to spell our arts in the roman alphabet.

The only real solution is to make people aware of the problem and leave it at that. I think most people aren't even conscious of their baseline assumptions in this area. It's part of the cultural baggage that is implicit in the study of CMA. Of course, there will always be newbies with the same old FAQs like what's the difference between tai chi and taiji, and it's up to us to address them fairly, not mock their naivete.

[apoweyn]

Well put.

[Sho]

We get new members every day - it would be quite impossible to successfully standardize the terminology used on these boards. Many people (including me) have rather biased tendencies to recognize wushu as the contemporary form, even though its authentic meaning is (Chinese) martial arts as a whole rather than a differentiated style of martial arts.

[Ben Gash]

That was the point Gene, to highlight the problem and discuss it.
I don't mean from a spelling or Pinyin/Wade Giles point of view, but in regard to confusing meanings and usages. How often has a thread mentioned Jimmy H Woo's Kung Fu San Soo and all the San Shou guys have chipped in talking about San Shou?
Some threads discussing wushu become unreadable after 10 or so posts as people start talking at cross purposes because their understanding of the term is different.
I'm not saying we should have a formalised set of koshered terms, I'm saying that we should discuss the matter to find common ground, clarify issues for people and move on in our understanding of CMA (which I thought was what these boards were all about).
While things may become muddied in the future, is that a reason to do nothing now? Anyway, people come to adopt the norms of the forum, and are here to learn (or to proclaim that a mixture of BJJ and video games is superior to kung fu). I new nothing of Shaolin Do, Ashida Kim or Temple kung fu before I came here.
Sho, this works OK in CLF circles, but when you start to talk to northern stylists they may well use wushu as you use kung fu (which they consider to be incorrect).

[Shuul Vis]

We could all just agree with what i say and make that the standard. We can call this " Rule #1".

[apoweyn]

Ben Gash,

But I wonder if sorting out those sorts of misapprehensions isn't what ultimately results in real answers. Establishing a common language can result in assumptions going unchecked when perhaps they should be.


Stuart B.

[Sho]

I don't think this would work out too well, but we could list all ambiguous words on a sticky thread and force people to read it before contributing to any other threads. :D

Or we could just clearly state the definition when posting a new thread to avoid any misleading consequences. Not a huge description, but just a short note in brackets or something.

Gah, does anyone have any better ideas?

[yenhoi]

Heres a cool forum format, they have all sorts of guides and helpfull stickys at the top of all their forums:

www.operationovergrow.com

:eek:

[Brad]

I know whay you mean, it can be frustrating sometimes when you can't agree on the termonology... like a lot of people just say "that looks like wushu!" Well what does that mean? What kind of wushu does it look like? Modern? Traditional? Compulsory? Standardized? Believe it or not, all can be totally seperate categories within the word wushu. I think people just need to take it onto themselves to educate themselves enough to explain what they're talking about if they want to make themselves understood. Sometimes this also requires some behinds the scenes negotiation by the two parties discussing a subject on acceptable termonology.