On 05/10/05, Han Dao <wikipediankiba(a)gmail.com> wrote:
So Wikipedia enter the english dictionary as a common
noun o.O
Well, not a common noun as such - that would be if people actually
talked about it being "a wikipedia of" (which they do, occasionally,
usually when they just mean "wiki"). These are using Wikipedia as a
reference point for analogies, in the same way as "the Rolls Royce
of", or the more nuanced "the Titanic of"; the comparison is still to
the real Wikipedia/Rolls Royce/Titanic, not some generic concept.
Which is lucky, because if it really did become uncontrollably generic
"we" couldn't claim it as a trademark any longer, which would suck.
Whereas this, as the article implies, is something of a compliment.
--
Rowan Collins BSc
[IMSoP]