Northern Hemisperism in USians

[beso]

Why are people from the USA so often prone to referring to time periods in seasonal terminology?

Surely they realise that referring to " the summer of 2011" is ridiculously ambiguous in a global sense yet even journalists will persist with using such expressions when posting online.

I don't see this kind of ignorance from people in other parts of the Northern Hemisphere.

[Zacs-Master]

Unless you give a couple of examples, I'm struggling to see why it should be so annoying.

[beso]

"I grew up in Pennsylvania during the breathtaking years of the space race. I graduated from high school in the summer Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon."

http://www.newscienti...cience-in-the-us.html

I was only nine at the time and t was over forty years ago but I am sure it was mid-winter.

[beso]

Does the Moon even have seasons?

[Zacs-Master]

As graduation takes place at the same time each year, as it does here, there's no need to elaborate.

I agree the mid winter one is a bit vague but it sets a scene and the date is a little irrelevant.

As the moon has no atmosphere, no, it doesn't have seasons.

[boxtops]

why is it ignorant? I speak about meeting OH in winter 1999.

[pastafreak]

The first moon walk was July...definitely 'summer' if you are in the Northern Hemispere......but winter below the equator

[beso]

boxtops //why is it ignorant? I speak about meeting OH in winter 1999.''

In the southern hemisphere "summer" covers two entirely non-contiguous periods of the year, January/February and December.

Moreover they are quite different times of the year from the Northern Hemisphere summer.

Furthermore the US designates seasons divide on the solstices and equinoxes while in Australia we divide season on the first day of the month.

Australian summers start on December first,

[beso]

pastafreak // 'summer' if you are in the Northern Hemispere......but winter below the equator

Close to the Equator, the notions of summer and winter are essentially meaningless.

[Mosaic]

As most of the world's population lives in the northern hemisphere.....and as they are writing from their experience of events.....then it will be as it will be. We don't have a dry season where I live but I can get my head round reading about events and stories from places that do.

An arab youth asked one of my rellies on VSO, 'what is the desert like round your father's village?'

We're all bound by our perception of the world from where we are.

[Zacs-Master]

Yes but if its an American writing, or the 'scene' is set in the US, you know when they're talking about. And I don't understand how Dec, Jan & Feb are non contiguous.

[beso]

While the example I gave does have the context given by location I have often seen posts with seasonal reference without the location of the poster being explicit.

I just know from experience they are invariably from the USA.

[beso]

Referring to the summer of 2011 in Australia is ambiguous.

[naomi24]

I don't see the problem.

[Zacs-Master]

Me neither. Sorry.

[beso]

OK Naomi.

To what period does an Englishman refer when he says "the winter of 2011"?

[Zacs-Master]

November to February roughly. But why does it matter?

[beso]

Mosaic //We're all bound by our perception of the world from where we are.//

Bullsh!t

[naomi24]

The winter of 2011 in England. If he were writing about his experiences in China, for example, he'd surely make it clear he was referring to China, wouldn't he?

[beso]

Zacs-Master
November to February roughly. But why does it matter?

November 2011 to February 2011? Sorry you fail, that period is non-contiguous.

[Zacs-Master]

Erm Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb....where's the gap,that makes it non contiguous?