Two Very Simple META Tag Questions
Smokin' Dave
Just wondering about a couple of things concerning META tags.....
Do the letters META actually abbreviate anything? In other words, are
they initials for something? I've always wondered.
Secondly, how is META properly pronounced? MAY-ta? Or MET-ta?
TIA....
Smokin' Dave
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Jani
"Smokin' Dave" <smoki...@smokindave.com> wrote in message
news:bilmds0ppc2l0a16q...@4ax.com...
Thomas Liesner
> Hey folks,
>
> Just wondering about a couple of things concerning META tags.....
>
> Do the letters META actually abbreviate anything? In other words, are
> they initials for something? I've always wondered.
>
> Secondly, how is META properly pronounced? MAY-ta? Or MET-ta?
Hi,
meta is not a abbreviation. It is a prefect. Like meta-word.
Usually used to describe somthing which is a derivat of the original
term. Like in metaphysics or metatags.
meta- or met-
pref.
1.
a. Later in time: metestrus.
b. At a later stage of development: metanephros.
2. Situated behind: metacarpus.
3.
a. Change; transformation: metachromatism.
b. Alternation: metagenesis.
4.
a. Beyond; transcending; more comprehensive: metalinguistics.
b. At a higher state of development: metazoan.
5. Having undergone metamorphosis: metasomatic.
6.
a. Derivative or related chemical substance: metaprotein.
b. Of or relating to one of three possible isomers of a benzene
ring with two attached chemical groups, in which the carbon atoms with
attached groups are separated by one unsubstituted carbon atom: meta-
dibromobenzene.
The correct pronunciaion should be something like your first try.
I cannot tell you the correct phonetics due to missing phonetic
characters in this media.
hth
Tom
--
...so long and thanks for all the fish
Jukka Korpela
>Do the letters META actually abbreviate anything?
No, "meta" is a Greek preposition. It means, among other things,
'after' or 'behind'. Some books by Aristotle, the philosopher, were
named as "ta meta ta physike", just because they happened to be
positioned after books discussing nature (physis, adjective: physike).
So that meant "the [books] after the [books discussing] natural
[things]". Later it was interpreted as referring to discussions of
things "behind" nature; hence "metaphysics".
And in modern times, meta- has become a widely (ab)used prefix.
See http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?meta
Sometimes it is used quite meaningfully, as in "metalanguage" 'a
language used to describe another language' (e.g., for HTML, English
is used in the official specifications to describe the language, with
the aid of a formalized metalanguage called SGML, or its restricted
version XML) or in "metadata" 'data describing some data, e.g. its
properties'. The <meta> tag takes its name from "metadata", I'd say.
Cf. to http://www.whatis.com/meta.htm
>Secondly, how is META properly pronounced? MAY-ta? Or MET-ta?
It depends on your language - and the notation you use to describe
your pronunciation. :-) If I make two correct guesses, MET-ta is more
common.
Well, this wasn't strictly about HTML... but perhaps meta-HTML in
_some_ sense (or metasense).
--
Yucca, http://www.hut.fi/u/jkorpela/
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Smokin' Dave
posted:
>Smokin' Dave <smoki...@smokindave.com> wrote:
>
>>Do the letters META actually abbreviate anything?
>
>No, "meta" is a Greek preposition. It means, among other things,
>'after' or 'behind'. Some books by Aristotle, the philosopher, were
>named as "ta meta ta physike", just because they happened to be
>positioned after books discussing nature (physis, adjective: physike).
>So that meant "the [books] after the [books discussing] natural
>[things]". Later it was interpreted as referring to discussions of
>things "behind" nature; hence "metaphysics".
<snip>
Hey, thanks a bunch for clearing it all up for me!
B.P.
assumed to mean a tag that can be changed or transformed. The root is
in latin, check websters for a detailed definition and pronunciation.
B.P.
Smokin' Dave wrote:
>
> Hey folks,
>
> Just wondering about a couple of things concerning META tags.....
>
> Do the letters META actually abbreviate anything? In other words, are
> they initials for something? I've always wondered.
>
> Secondly, how is META properly pronounced? MAY-ta? Or MET-ta?
>
> TIA....
Smokin' Dave
>META in itself means change or transformation. META tag would then be
>assumed to mean a tag that can be changed or transformed. The root is
>in latin, check websters for a detailed definition and pronunciation.
>
Thanks....