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Pedants' corner

I`m sure these have been mentioned before ...

(91 Posts)
suzette1613 Wed 16-Oct-19 07:42:56

When did `railway station` become `train station`?

I always thought `students` were in tertiary education, now all pupils seem to be known as students.

`Faith` schools? Just sounds wrong to me.

BradfordLass72 Wed 16-Oct-19 07:49:45

I've always been interested in why word usage changes but didn't know why this particular one should.

I looked up the origin and pupil originally meant 'orphan' - fancy that! smile

It was also used, mainly for boys as back in the day, girls weren't educated anyway.

So as 'student' just means anyone who studies, I suppose it's more logical now to use that word.

BlueBelle Wed 16-Oct-19 08:11:38

I always thought a pupil was a child who went to school I was certainly given a sheet of paper with ‘pupils uniform ’ on it 70 years ago I also went to a faith school which was a term used then t
I don’t know when railway station became train station but to be honest it is the trains that are in the station not the railways so makes sense
Language is always changing thankfully or else we would still be speaking in Shakespeare’s tongue or worse still Chaucer

LullyDully Wed 16-Oct-19 08:37:55

Train station used to be just the station. Swim school annoys me if I am honest. Swimming classes ok by me but then I am a fuddy duddy.

Bathsheba Wed 16-Oct-19 08:50:34

but to be honest it is the trains that are in the station not the railways so makes sense

This got me thinking BlueBelle, and I thought about the word 'station', as in stationary, not moving etc.

I had a little investigation with Mr Google and found one meaning of station is 'a regular stopping place'. So the railway station wasn't actually a building, a place you went to to get on a train, but rather a regular stopping place on the railway. Which makes perfect sense of the term 'railway station'.

Septimia Wed 16-Oct-19 09:21:48

'Cohort' is the term that irritates me.

What does that have to do with students/pupils? I know it can be used for a group of people, but it always makes me picture them as Roman soldiers.

Anniebach Wed 16-Oct-19 09:26:18

We haven’t had trains in this area for years, when we did we had the station and the Halt

EllanVannin Wed 16-Oct-19 09:32:43

What about the vet becoming the vets ? I know it's paltry but I always say, I'm taking the cat to " the vet ".

GrumpyGran8 Wed 16-Oct-19 10:08:01

Septimia
'Cohort', besides being the name of a group of Roman soldiers, has the specific meaning of 'group with shared characteristics'. When applied to schoolchildren it's a shorter way of saying 'children in the same year group'.

Calendargirl Wed 16-Oct-19 10:16:50

I still think it sounds daft to be calling 5 year olds “students”.

Nanny27 Wed 16-Oct-19 10:20:54

Can't really see a problem with 'vet' s'. It means the practice belonging to the vet. Same as 'the butcher' s, 'the Baker' s etc.

Margs Wed 16-Oct-19 10:41:44

Hospitals and clinics being referred to as 'medical facilities' and this leads straight to my simmering irritation over patients being referred to as 'clients' or sometimes even (incredibly) 'customers'.

Hiss!Hiss!Hiss!

TwinLolly Wed 16-Oct-19 10:48:05

I hate the word 'coworkers' that seems to have crept in, instead of 'colleagues'.

Riggie Wed 16-Oct-19 10:52:46

And let's not start on the onboard train announcements for "station stop"!!

barbaralynne Wed 16-Oct-19 10:56:02

Train station annoys me too. I understood that that came straight across the sea from the USA, just like so many unpleasant things do!

lovebeigecardigans1955 Wed 16-Oct-19 10:59:47

I find the word 'which' has disappeared. On many TV quizzes the host asks, 'what country/town, etc is? ' instead of 'which' and that puzzles me. Have the quiz compilers something against the word?

Annanan Wed 16-Oct-19 11:00:13

I’ve heard schoolchildren called “ the learning cohort”!

Mealybug Wed 16-Oct-19 11:07:50

Date night is my pet hate, usually when couples have a night out.

Nanny27 Wed 16-Oct-19 11:09:26

And for the younger ones 'playdate'

jenni123 Wed 16-Oct-19 11:09:51

OOh picky picky picky.... If it's a word you do not like then don't use it. Live and let live, I hear/see many things I don't agree with, many on this site but everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Why do so many get riled up about things that really don't matter in the grand scheme of things.

paddyann Wed 16-Oct-19 11:23:07

Scottish cencus for late 19th century has my Gaunt down as a student,she was 7 years old.We dont call schools faith schools ,we call them Catholic schools and any other kind than the off Jewish Saturday school or Muslim school is rare.The rest are public schools as the Catholic schools ect were all funded by their churches until the 1920's or later in some cases .A public school in Scotland is a state school in the rUK

00mam00 Wed 16-Oct-19 11:28:05

Jennil23, people’s opinions are what this site is about. If people didn’t make statements, ask advice or opinions there would be no Gransnet, although I suspect pedants would stay clear as the title is an abbreviation of grandmothers’ and granddads‘ networking site. (Hope I got my apostrophes in the right places.) wink

Paperbackwriter Wed 16-Oct-19 11:48:36

Riggie - with 'Station stop' I just want to go and punch the person saying it (Who might be the 'train manager' these days. I was happy with a good old-fashioned 'guard', myself)

fluttERBY123 Wed 16-Oct-19 11:51:52

I think it's to distinguish between train and bus stations - there never used to be such a thing as a bus station.

Barmeyoldbat Wed 16-Oct-19 12:16:23

Ah yes flute, exactly what I was going to say.