[Ads-l] a semantic question for you

[Jonathan Lighter]

There's also a "Sunni Triangle" in Iraq.

JL

On Wed, Jul 17, 2019 at 11:52 AM Barretts Mail <mail.barretts at gmail.com>
wrote:

> The OED has two examples under “triangle” with datings to 1964:
>
> 2(b) the Bermuda (also Devil's) Triangle: a name given to an area of sea
> between Bermuda and Florida credited with a high number of unexplained
> disappearances of boats and aircraft; hence used allusively; the golden
> triangle, an area at the meeting-point of Burma (Myanmar), Laos, and
> Thailand, where much opium is grown.
>
> The OED has another under “North Atlantic” with a dating to 1945:
>
> 3. North Atlantic Triangle  n. Chiefly North American (orig. Canadian). an
> informal alliance between Great Britain, Canada, and the United States,
> esp. prior to the end of the Second World War (1939–45), for the purpose of
> economic, military, and other collaboration. Now chiefly hist.
>
> Collings (https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/triangle
> <https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/triangle>)
> includes under “triangle” for BrE:
>
> 3. any situation involving three parties or points of view
>
> However, this seems inconclusive because it says “see also eternal
> triangle” which says: "You use the eternal triangle to refer to a
> relationship involving love and jealousy between two men and a woman or two
> women and a man.”
>
> Wiktionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/triangle <
> https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/triangle>) refers to the field of
> systemics in the sixth defintion. Science Daily (
> https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/triangle.htm <
> https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/triangle.htm>) says:
>
> From the systemics perspective, triangle is the structure of every system
> composed with three reciprocally connected/interrelated abstract or real
> objects.
>
> Benjamin Barrett (he/him/his)
> Formerly of Seattle, WA
>
> > On 17 Jul 2019, at 07:21, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> wrote:
> >
> > Check Wikipedia for various "Iron Triangles."
> >
> > The earliest may have been in North Korea.
> >
> > The one in South Vietnam was often alluded to in wartime news reports.
> >
> > JL
> >
> > JL
> >
> >
> >
> > On Wed, Jul 17, 2019 at 2:17 AM Dave Hause <dwhause at cablemo.net> wrote:
> >
> >> In Asia there is also the Golden Triangle (Thailand, Burma, & Laos.)
> >> Dave Hause
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Dan Goncharoff
> >> Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2019 9:58 PM
> >> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> >> Subject: Re: a semantic question for you
> >>
> >> I seem to remember a variety of geographic growth triangles in Asia:
> >> HK-Taiwan-Guangdong, for example.
> >>
> >> This is clearly not the same as the Dreilaendereck (three nations
> corner)
> >> in German, which means a place where the borders of three countries
> meet.
> >> There are three big ones in Germany.
> >>
> >> The Central American triangle seems closer to the growth triangles
> (which
> >> go back to the 90s, I think) than the Dreilaendereck.
> >>
> >> On Tue, Jul 16, 2019, 10:03 PM Mark Mandel <markamandel at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >>
> >>> A question from a friend of mine:
> >>>
> >>> When I was in Freiburg, the staff at the school referred to their area
> >> as
> >>> a
> >>> triangle, a place where Germany, France, and Switzerland meet.
> >>> Now the word triangle is being used to refer to three contiguous
> Central
> >>> American countries.
> >>> But I haven’t been able to find an explicit definition for this use of
> >> the
> >>> word triangle.
> >>> Do you know of a source?
> >>> This use of the word seems to be becoming more and more common.
> >>>
> >>> I found a few uses and sent them to him, but nothing like a formal
> >>> definition. I told him not to expect necessarily to find one: "This is
> >>> *usage*, man." But does anyone know of such?
> >>>
> >>> Mark Mandel
>
>
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>


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