What is the proper group noun for computers?

[rheasilvia]

Dear friendslist, we have an important issue to resolve! It is high time for computers to receive a fitting group noun of their own. In a language that features a pandemonium of parrots, a glaring of cats, an ambush of tigers and a turmoil of porpoises, can humankind's omnipresent electronic companion be ignored?

Poll #22446

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 24

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What is the proper group noun for computers?

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A whirring
4 (20.0%)

A calculation
3 (15.0%)

A processing
2 (10.0%)

A sequencing
0 (0.0%)

A node
4 (20.0%)

A binary
0 (0.0%)

A coding
0 (0.0%)

An entropy
2 (10.0%)

An algorithm
1 (5.0%)

A frustration
13 (65.0%)

Something else entirely, namely:

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Comments

[jo_lasalle]

'A node' sounds very sensible, but it would be great if you could make 'a frustration' happen!

[rheasilvia]

The frustration is definitely in the lead! It's looking like the clear favorite, which I interpret as a speaking commentary on the status of computers in society. ;-)

Of course, there can also be several terms, perhaps depending on the behavior, nature and/or purpose of the group of computers being talked about...

[lauand]

I must confess an utter bewilderment in the face of all the Germanic languages' obsession to create a specific (and usually ridiculous but cute) word for any collective name assigned to a groups of animals. In Spanish we have a word for a group of birds, a group of ruminants, a group of carnivores and a group of fish. Okay, and a group of pigs. And a group of insects. But that's about it, I think.

That doesn't mean I don't approve of this post, because I totally endorse this idea.

[rheasilvia]

So far, I was assuming only English did this - German certainly doesn't! Do other Germanic languages? I confess to ignorance, but I will check with some Scandinavians and report back. :-)

The frustration of computers looks like the clear winner so far. I think this says a lot... ;-)

[lauand]

Oh, I was thinking of Icelandic, sorry for the generalization. Can you believe they also have a different word for the tail of every fucking animal? And I'm like... why??

Incidentally, they don't have a word for "please".

(Dammit, I was rooting for "a whirring". I mean, I totally understand where "a frustration" comes from and I can't refute that it's appropiate but... you know. "A whirring" as a nice ring to it. Not literally, but still.)

(Also, love that icon of yours.)

[rheasilvia]

Icelandic sounds like fun, at least! :-) German does have a number of different names for animal tails, but not for *every* animal. I don't know why, though! Maybe because of the general importance hunting apparently used to have, which has also left a lot of other specific terms in the language...?

I am leaning towards killabeez suggestion that a group of computers is 'a whirring' when they are working and being helpful, and 'a frustration' when they are being troublesome, as they like to be. Unlike Highlanders, there can be more than one! ;-)

[lauand]

Oh, it's an intensely fascinanting language! It's also hell to learn. They also decline nouns. Even people's names. And numbers ended in 1-4. And they have a special set of numbers (again, just the ended in 1-4) for things that come in pairs. And another set for the buses and the numbers on the cards. That means there's at least 36 possible ways to say "three". There are also several groups of declension endings inside each gender. And no way to know which group a word belongs to. It's crazy. I might have been exaggerating a little bit with the tails, it's not *every* animal. But a handful of them, yeah. My Spanish mind can't wrap itself around that idea. Specific vocabulary is okay, but what for, when you can just build a periphrasis/an ass-long sentence?

That suggestion is genius. Transmit killabeez my most heartfelt applause!

[solo]

And they have a special set of numbers (again, just the ended in 1-4) for things that come in pairs. And another set for the buses and the numbers on the cards. That means there's at least 36 possible ways to say "three".

Japanese does something a bit like that. You have special counters for round things, flat things, long things, people, small animals, large animals, birds, fishes, cups/glasses, etc etc...

[lauand]

But... but... whyyyy???

(No, seriously: whyyyy???)

[solo]

I don't knooooooow!

I think every language has that one thing which is totally bizarre but which the speakers of that language seem to find very important. Cases in German, counters in Japanese (and appqarently Chinese too), the *beginning* of verbs and nouns changing on declension or conjugation in Gaelic, no vowel ever reliably being always pronounced the same way in English ...

Just gotta roll with it. :)

[lauand]

Ha, ha, wise words. I guess that's what makes them special?

(Gaelic looks incredibly fascinanting. A language with such an inexplicable relation from the outsider's eye between how a word is written and how a word is pronounced deserves my inconditional respect.)

[solo]

The whole pronunciation vs spelling thing in Gaelic is actually extremely logical - well, more so in Scottish Gaelic which didn't have a spelling reform to 'simplify' the spelling, so all the etymology is still in place. A lot of it is about the relation between 'dark' and 'light' pronunciations of each consonant, and the vowels it has to be surrounded by to achieve the version you need.

Take the word 'tioraidh'. The 'r' in 'tioraidh' would be much darker (because surrounded by dark vowels o and a) than the 'r' in 'firinn' (which would just be a little hiss, almost).

The 't' in 'tioraidh' would be much lighter than the 't' in 'talla'.

The 'dh' in 'tioraidh' is not pronounced because there's an 'i' in front of it (it gets light enough to disappear), but if there were, say, an o, it would be pronounced (because dark).

(tioraidh is a pronunced a bit like 'cheery')

Looking back, not sure if his helps. >_>

[lauand]

Ha, ha, not sure if it helps, either, but it sure makes me long to learn Gaelic, dammit :3

Thank you so much for the explanation! I read a short guide to pronunciation in Gaelic (Irish one) once, but it was very superficial (and it still boggled my mind). As I said, I've always found it fascinanting. Also, ass-long words without a single vowel, what's not to love?

Incidentally, not in such an extreme way, but there are consonants and groups of consonants that also change their pronunciation in Icelandic depending on the letters around them (not only the vowels). The most extreme case is the "g", which can be a harsh "g", a soft "g", a harsh "h" or even a "y" if it's in a sandwich position between a vowel and an "i". Also "f"s must be pronounced as "p"s before an "l" and "p"s as "f"s before an occlusive. Ehem, you didn't ask, I know, but I just love languages and this one is my current obsession. It's a fucking tragedy that life is too short to learn them all.

[solo]

Looks like many people are frustrated with their computers? :D

[rheasilvia]

It certainly looks that way! :-) We have a clear winner - although I chose to follow killabeez' recommendation and go with both whirring (when they are working) and frustration (when they are misbehaving as usual). ;-)