[Wikipedia-l] Re: [WikiEN-l] www.wixpression.org?

[Toby Bartels]

Gutza wrote on <wikiEN-L>:

>How about a Wikipedia "documenting" expressions in various languages? I
>mean, try googling around for "bring it on" (~542,000 matches), or "what
>goes around comes around" (~98,500 matches)--and try finding out what
>they /mean/. I'm pretty sure you won't be able to find any explanation
>anywhere--I haven't.

>Now I'm aware such a topic is more "dictionary-like" rather than 
>"encyclopedia-like"--I guess that's the first objection which comes to 
>mind, although we already have a Wiktionary--, but is Wikimedia's 
>purpose to only support encyclopedic projects, or to support projects 
>which would be helpful?

>Also, think about the various languages which make use of 
>expressions--due to the human nature, I expect all languages do--, and 
>think how helpful such a (successful) project would be for people around 
>the world trying to find out information about this and that obscure 
>expression in some language. Bells and whistels included a la Wikipedia, 
>as in cross-referencing languages, historical periods, you know the 
>drill, I won't go into that.

>What do you think?

Some of this has been happening on Wikipedia already.

I tried to write a brief summary for this post, but it was impossible;
you might read [[en:Let's Roll]], [[en:Talk:AKFD]], and of course
[[en:Wikipedia:Naming conventions (slogans)]] to see why.
But you have to look at edit history and see things in dynamic context,
and that is literally ''impossible'' now.

Suffice it to say that allowing [[Bring it on]] to be an article
on the English Wikipedia (I don't know about the other wikis)
produces an irreconcilable conflict between NPOV and good taste.

However ...

On Wiktionary, one ''expects'' page titles to be words or phrases.
By default, they are mentions rather than uses, if you like.
If Wiktionary can accept phrases (I don't see why not, but I don't know),
then Wikipedia authors can write "[[Fred Phelps]] paraded [[anti-gay slogan]]s,
most famously [[wiktionary:AIDS Kills Fags Dead|]] at the Sheppard's funeral"
on [[Matthew Sheppard]] without worry.

In any case, the history and usages of phrases in a worthy topic
for Wikimedia to cover, if Wikimedians can find a tolerable format
to discuss even the loathesome ones.


-- Toby