On Nov 19, 2005, at 3:45 AM, Alberto Monteiro wrote:
Dave Land wrote:
"A specialist on torture" -- he/she should not be what we expect
when we hear this expression. Torquemada was a specialist on
torture.
I think Torquemada was a specialist *in* torture.
Ah, interesting. "a specialist in X" != "a specialist on X"?
A firefighter is a "a specialist on fire", and an arsonist
"a specialist in fire"? A cop that investigates sexual crimes
is "a specialist on rape" while the rapist is "a specialist in rape"?
A virus designer is "a specialist in computer virus" and an
anti-virus designer is "a specialist on computer virus"?
Or it's just an exception for torture?
An expert "in" something is expert in *doing* the thing discussed,
while an expert "on" something has studied it, but not necessarily
engaged in it. I don't know that it is not a formal distinction in
English, but you have captured the idiom perfectly.
We don't have this difference in Portuguese.
I have been informed by a friend who speaks Portuguese that
Portuguese speakers are capable of emotions that English speakers are
not because Portuguese has words for them that English does not.
Dave "todo bem" Land
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