Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2020 November 15

= November 15 =

Using the term "postwar"
Let's say it was late 1945 and the WW2 was over. Some military units were on the battlefields collecting defeated countries' weapons. Can we use "postwar" to describe such efforts?

I think the immediate takeover was still a part of the war. It's stupid to call it "postwar". -- Toytoy (talk) 03:18, 15 November 2020 (UTC)


 * More in general, I think it is unusual to use the term postwar for something that is directly related to a war that is over. It is more an indication of a time period on which the past war still had strong effects ("the postwar reconstruction of the Japanese economy"; "the priority of American postwar diplomacy"). --Lambiam 11:01, 15 November 2020 (UTC)


 * post-war and both suggest the period starts immediately after a war, but can continue for decades. So if you're talking about, say, October 1945, then "post-war" could be used. Bazza (talk) 12:11, 15 November 2020 (UTC)


 * If by weapons you mean landmines, then yes. If not, it would surely be a confusing choice of words. It sounds strange to me to apply "post-war" to something that is done relatively quickly after the war ends, such as burying dead combatant, as opposed to e.g. de-mining which takes years or decades. 93.136.22.169 (talk) 19:13, 15 November 2020 (UTC)
 * Anything that occurred in the European theater after 8 May 1945 is postwar. Barring only events in those powers still at war in the Pacific. Anything that occurred after 2 September 1945 is postwar everywhere. Now, I do see a difference between "immediate postwar" things and "extended postwar" things, but they are all postwar. --Khajidha (talk) 12:38, 16 November 2020 (UTC)

How to pronounce "Monstercat" in American English?
Is the correct answer to pronounce it separately exactly as two words "monster cat"? - Justin545 (talk) 03:46, 15 November 2020 (UTC)


 * The spelling as one word implies that it's intended to be a compound with greater stress on the first element (such as "blackboard" etc), but such a closely-joined compound does not seem very natural with these two particular elements... AnonMoos (talk) 08:11, 15 November 2020 (UTC)


 * Natural or not, given that the name exists, people working there pronounce it some way or another. The pronunciation to be expected is the catenation of that of monster with that of cat, with secondary stress on the last component. Together, this gives . --Lambiam 10:32, 15 November 2020 (UTC)


 * It's hard to tell how it should be pronounced until you know what it's supposed to mean. The one-word spelling suggests a closely-joined compound of the type "blackboard", "lighthouse" etc, but the intended meaning of such a compound is far from intuitive or obvious, so that the whole thing is kind of left hanging in the air in an unsatisfying manner... AnonMoos (talk) 13:42, 15 November 2020 (UTC)
 * It's a company name. Many company names are stylised for promotional purposes, and names in general are routinely formed without regard for pronunciation, which sometimes causes names to be changed later when the pronunciation is awkward, e.g. CINCUS, a former US Navy position, which was ironically pronounced "sink us".  Nyttend backup (talk) 14:25, 15 November 2020 (UTC)
 * The community college I work at is a member of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. SACSCOC. Which the organization insists is pronounced "sacks see oh see". --Khajidha (talk) 17:43, 15 November 2020 (UTC)
 * Luckily it's not the "Southern Union of..." Roger (Dodger67) (talk) 15:22, 16 November 2020 (UTC)
 * Yeah. But vowels in English (and especially Southern US English) are notoriously variable... --Khajidha (talk) 16:06, 16 November 2020 (UTC)
 * PS - "Martinique, that Monstercat mystique" --Khajidha (talk) 18:16, 16 November 2020 (UTC)
 * As some of the above users have hinted, your best bet is to contact the organization and find out how they pronounce it. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 16:36, 15 November 2020 (UTC)
 * It's pronounced the same as Raymond Luxury Yacht.--Khajidha (talk) 17:37, 15 November 2020 (UTC)
 * Here's a fun fact: Cheops and Khufu are pronounced the same way. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 20:07, 15 November 2020 (UTC)
 * The company logo shows what could be considered a monster cat, as does much of the cover art of their albums. --Lambiam 21:03, 15 November 2020 (UTC)
 * It all seems rather obvious, but if the OP is still uncertain, he could contact them and find out for sure. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 23:36, 15 November 2020 (UTC)