--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "emptybill" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: <snip> > However, I like it because it reinforces the recognition > that these Sanskrit words (read Arabic for "Houri") are > provisional terms, not necessarily fit yet to be > reified into English. > > I understand how you, as an editor, might find this mode of > presentation to be contra-instinctual for a trained English > reader. However, rather than just dismissing it, tell me why > you might find it confusing or irritating.
Well, actually, I did. I said I didn't think it was called for, i.e., there was no good reason *for* doing it in an informal forum like this, where whether these terms are fit yet to be reified into English isn't at issue, and it made the text more difficult to read. As an editor, I think anything about the technical details of a piece of writing that causes the reader to go "Huh?" even for a split second inhibits communication of the *content* of the writing; it disturbs the flow and distracts the reader's attention. No biggie, and I really wasn't objecting to your use of the hyphens so much as I was curious to know why you were using them.
