tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294141728297871688.post3803940777889842225..comments2024-03-26T07:09:21.701+00:00Comments on linguistlaura: Rotate, but don't turnLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15599735346062899537noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6294141728297871688.post-38858978023060114702016-04-14T06:44:34.095+01:002016-04-14T06:44:34.095+01:00Interesting. German has two words for these two in...Interesting. German has two words for these two intended meanings: "wenden" (flip over) and "drehen" (rotate). But "wenden" is also used, e.g., for cars making a u-turn. Which makes me wonder whether English "turn" and "rotate" are really synonymous, or whether "rotate" is more narrowly restricted to movement on the object's own axis (as is "drehen") whereas "turn" may but need not refer to movement around a point external to the object. A car can turn at the intersection but hopefully not rotate.<br />Interesting are also the verbs, used in aviation, for rotation specific to each of the object's axes: "yaw" for rotation along the vertical axis, "pitch" for rotation along the horizontal side-to-side axis and "roll" for rotation along the horizontal front-to-back axis. In German, "gieren", "nicken", and "wanken", respectively. So you need to yaw the mattress but neither roll nor pitch it. Richard Waltereithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00742803993196060174noreply@blogger.com