Re: [for Italian users] how to translate "spanner"?

[David Rogers]

On Fri, 24 Aug 2012 09:19:28 -0300
Felipe Castro <address@hidden> wrote:

> 2012/8/24, Phil Holmes <address@hidden>:
> >>
> >> Han-Wen, instead of "spanner", in English, would you use
> >> "extender"? I'm not asking to change, just wondering if both words
> >> are equivalent in this case.
> >
> > Replying as a native English speaker.  No, I don't believe I
> > would.  An extender would be something that makes something extend
> > - i.e. makes it longer.  A spanner (in this context) is something
> > that spans.  So we could call a bridge a river spanner (although I
> > don't believe anyone ever actually would).
> 
> Ok, thanks. Just one more doubt: what about that "extender-engraver"
> thing, does it have something to do with dynamic spanners, text
> spanners, line spanners, volta spanners, etc? Or is that in a
> completely different context?
> 
> There is a message to be translated, that uses explicitly the word
> "extender" (unterminated extender). So, for the case of Portuguese,
> for example, translating "spanner" with "extensor" would make colide
> both cases, so that spanner ~= extender.


Hmm. You're right.

The word "spanner" describes what the "extender" does to the underlying
music - like what a bridge does to a river.

-- 
David