5 replies to this topic

[passingover]

I learned an interesting new word tonight and I thought I would share.

http://en.wikipedia....i/Preternatural

The preternatural or praeternatural is that which appears outside or beside (Latin præter) the natural. In contrast to the supernatural, preternatural phenomena are presumed to have rational explanations that are unknown.[1]

The term is often used to distinguish from the divine (supernatural) while maintaining a distinction from what is known and understood. For example, in fiction, vampires are often portrayed as having preternatural qualities and capacities that greatly exceed those of normal people, apart from unnatural powers that no creature could hope to possess.[2]

Not that labels are the most significant thing but at times maybe this word would fit better for that which some intend? I know I often would have used this word in the past over Supernatural had I known of it.

[TheUnknowable]

I always use Paranormal meaning "beyond normal". The only things I call "supernatural" if they involve spirits.

[Rhuen]

The terms Preternatural and Paranormal are very abused, often used like a buzzword standing in for "Supernatural" when people want to avoid the stigma that word has and bring more credence, as in make what they are talking about sound more real.

Such as refering to ghosts as Paranormal while refering to an Elemental as Supernatural.

[passingover]

The terms Preternatural and Paranormal are very abused, often used like a buzzword standing in for "Supernatural" when people want to avoid the stigma that word has and bring more credence, as in make what they are talking about sound more real.

Such as refering to ghosts as Paranormal while refering to an Elemental as Supernatural.

I may be wrong but I think the main purpose of the distinction is to declare the intent and one's beliefs better. You presumably try to choose the one which you see as most accurate. There does seem to be a lot of overlap with the word supernatural (as often there is in language) but in the past I always sort of believed that it implied something "outside of nature" and I never felt right about using the word for certain things because it seemed inaccurate.

[Gwinevere]

I may be wrong but I think the main purpose of the distinction is to declare the intent and one's beliefs better. You presumably try to choose the one which you see as most accurate.

Oh! Can I thank you for a minute? Because this is a really elegant, simple reminder of something that I often forget when I'm thinking about language, namely that language developed as a means to express thought and belief and abstract idea grown in a human mind. And yeah, language is messy and complicated and full of redundancy and sometimes very, very irritating, but that's because people are so different and we have to be messy and redundant to even get close to what we're trying to say. There's so many layers.

 

So, thank you! For the reminder. 

[passingover]

You're welcome.