"Records" or "vinyl"? **Major rant alert!** You've been warned :)

[Guest]

Well, in the "Why did you go vinyl?" thread, davidsss stated:

 

 

Just as an aside, they are called records, most are made from a substance called vinyl.

We don't say people go plastic when they start playing CDs.

For a lot of us calling it vinyl does grate.

 

I'm not by any means disagreeing with that, but as someone who's interested in and fascinated by languages and words it got me thinking....

 

 

 

 

 

Sure, they are called records and are made from vinyl, but is it "wrong" to refer to them as vinyl?

Is calling them vinyl just a slang expression like calling cigarettes "fags"?

 

You'll say "I have a record in my hand" but "I have that album on vinyl".

In which case the latter makes sense, as the album is indeed made from the material vinyl.

 

You can say "I have a vinyl collection" while "I have a record collection" also works.

 

But nobody goes to the "vinyl store"

 

 

Records are also sometimes referred to as "wax", are they not?

 

 

Nobody calls CDs plastics, correct, but they are referred to as discs, which makes sense as they are indeed discs, and the D in CD stands for disc.

 

 

 

Calling a record an LP also works, but here it's referring to the size and play time as opposed to the EP or single.

Although the EP, with extended play, might well be the same physical size as the LP.

Just like the Maxi Single.

 

 

 

 

 

Going away from the English language, and looking at Swedish, which I grew up speaking, it gets even more complicated.

 

The word used for Record, is "skiva", where the sk is pronounced with a CHH sound, like as if you're clearing your throat, and the -iva is similar to "diva".

 

Skiva also means a table top or a slice of something (ham for example )

And of course disc.

The meaning of "recording" is not used at all.

 

They're also referred to as LPs, or LP discs, translating directly.

 

Or "Platta" which has to do with it being flat, but this would be regarded as slang.

The word platta is also used for pavers and bathroom tiles for example.

(confused yet? :blink: )

 

 

CDs are essentially referred to as.... "compact disc discs", as you'd say "CD skiva"

 

 

 

 

I'm not sure if I'm making any sense here but I needed to get that off my chest :lol:

 

I'd be interested to hear from people of other nationalities what records and CDs are referred to in other languages.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sir sanders zingmore]

I don't care what people call them as long as they don't call them 'vinyls'

Edited June 1, 2014 by Sir Sanders Zingmore

[Guest]

:lol:

[Telecine]

They are records but if the younger (than me) people buying them want to call them vinyl or vinyls, I will live with it if it helps the resurgence and saves the media from extinction. It will annoy me but I'll live with it.

It is really a product of the fact that records just skipped a generation, thanks to CD. The result is that a lot of knowledge was lost.

[Guest]

Right, so Record vs Vinyl is a generation thing?

When would you say people started referring to them as vinyl?

 

As I said, I didn't grow up as English speaking and have only been a "full time" English speaker since the mid 90's when I started travelling.

 

 

[betty boop]

Always been records, I suppose those coming from the era of 78s and 45s might also know them as LPs on the other end of age scale my 6 year when younger used to call them bug DV-DVs. because to her they look like big DVDs.

Now to her they're records as well.

Yes please no "vinyls" please as with the "gears"

[Telecine]

Right, so Record vs Vinyl is a generation thing?

When would you say people started referring to them as vinyl?

 

As I said, I didn't grow up as English speaking and have only been a "full time" English speaker since the mid 90's when I started travelling.

 

 

It is a post-CD term I believe. I suspect that it came into use to simply describe the difference between records and CDs.

[sir sanders zingmore]

Oh alright, I can live with vinyls, but please don't call them vinyl's

[manchu]

I'm not too concerned about vinyl...but vinyls does bug me a bit. 

 

I think of the word 'record' as interchangeable with 'album',  so it doesn't necessarily mean the vinyl record to me.  eg.  I might say something like:  "I think that new Katy Perry record sucks",  which means I think the CD,  vinyl, digital download all suck. 

 

I also think increased in the use of vinyl has got to do with search terms on the net.   If I'm searching ebay for an album on vinyl I would search for "ARTIST ALBUM Vinyl".     Similarly, sites that sell or list music in different formats will list vinyl records as just 'Vinyl',  and CD's as 'CD',   so I don't think it's entirely correct to say "they are called records".

 

The English language is constantly evolving and there's bugger all any of us can do about it.    There's many changes in English and the way it's spoken that I believe are much worse that incorrect use of the word vinyl.  

 

eg.   "like I juz like went down to like JB like and got me like a few new vinyls . . . . like"   

Edited June 1, 2014 by manchu

[tubularbells]

Well just to throw another word into the mix is when I began purchasing records/vinyl in the early 80's I always referred to them as albums. Cannot remember calling them records or LP's (and certainly not "vinyl") however i must admit these days I do tend to use the word vinyl a bit excessively.

 

So personally I prefer the word ALBUM :lol:

 

EDIT: Manchu beat me to it with the album reference...good one mate!

Edited June 1, 2014 by Tubularbells

[Dcf1]

I agree with Manchu on the whole record / album being interchangeable. When I was playing in bands we would say stuff like " please pick up a copy of our new album or record we have it on tape(cassette), CD or vinyl". With no CDs I guess album or record was fine as that's all there was. If someone said that they had the Head Injuries record for example, I'd think vinyl but if they said album I'd probably think CD or MP3 first.

P.S I'm still working so all that pleading didn't get too many albums sold no matter what format

[djb]

Interesting discussion , fun as long as we don't use it to exclude any one from the hobby or the site.

Occassionally on sites similar to this members for whom English is a second language are attacked for their poor expression

THAT ANNOYS ME

[Gee Emm]

First world problem much?

[metal beat]

I prefer the term lp

 

that is long play microgroove vinyl record.

 

 

Agree with most - hate vinyls and gears  - unless the girl is in a vinyls hood playing with my gears

Edited June 1, 2014 by metal beat

[wolster]

I buy records but collect vinyl.

[RockandorRoll]

Wouldn't Records be slang for Recording? So as mentioned above, saying look at all my records, would indicate, check out my NAS drive and CD collection

 

Vinyl is the perfect reference word. People immediately know what you are talking about without confusion. Yes its annoying to the oldies but thats because there was never a reference against the term Records

 

I suppose 'album' could be used in place of 'records' by why add more confusion

 

'Vinyls' however is stupid, and i glare menacingly at the hipsters who talk like this

[Guest]

First world problem much?

 

Nobody said it was a problem.

Just something that can be discussed... you know... on a discussion forum.

 

 

 

 

 

I buy records but collect vinyl.

 

Just like the guy from Holland who used to speak Dutch when he lived in The Netherlands then.

 

:lol:

 

 

Wouldn't Records be slang for Recording?

 

 

 

Wiki:

 

A gramophone record (phonograph record in American English) or vinyl record, commonly known as "a record", is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat polyvinyl chloride (previously Shellac) disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove.

 

 

 

It is a form of storing data.

In this case, sound.

 

 

 

[Full Range]

The main reason they are called records is that it's short for recording

The vinyl version as we know it is not the first medium used

Preceding it was drums and shellac records played on gramophone 78 speed

So you see the name record was not given to the vinyl version it was a carry over from the past

[Gee Emm]

Hit a nerve did I?

[Guest]

Hit a nerve did I?

 

No, I'm not offended but I don't see the point of comments like that, regardless of who started the discussion or what it's about.

If you don't want to discuss the topic, fine, but there's no need to make out like you're above what others are discussing.

 

Your comment which I'm quoting here makes it seem as if that is the case.

[Gee Emm]

My comments are part of the discussion, on an open discussion forum.

[metal beat]

First world problem much?

 

Everything on SNA is a first world problem

Edited June 2, 2014 by metal beat

[Gee Emm]

Everything on SNA is a first world problem

 

Pretty much!

[eman]

I'm not too concerned about vinyl...but vinyls does bug me a bit. 

 

I think of the word 'record' as interchangeable with 'album',  so it doesn't necessarily mean the vinyl record to me.  eg.  I might say something like:  "I think that new Katy Perry record sucks",  which means I think the CD,  vinyl, digital download all suck. 

 

......

 

 

I agree with Manchu on the whole record / album being interchangeable. When I was playing in bands we would say stuff like " please pick up a copy of our new album or record we have it on tape(cassette), CD or vinyl"....

 

 

The main reason they are called records is that it's short for recording

The vinyl version as we know it is not the first medium used

Preceding it was drums and shellac records played on gramophone 78 speed

So you see the name record was not given to the vinyl version it was a carry over from the past

I always thought a 'record' was a flat (mostly) black PVC but now it seems a 'record' is an 'album' in any format. 

As mentioned above a Muso holds up a CD and says "buy my new record".  Doesn't look like a record to me.  Looks like a CD.

Since 'record' is a (US ? style) shortening of 'recording' it seems resonable and usable to say vinyl for PolyVinylChloride (PVC).  Then in the standard English idiom of adding an S to make a plural it becomes Vinyls.  (Even though adding an S is often wrong as in Fora and Styli)

 

So now my records are vinyls and albums are records !? 

(but an album isn't necessarilly a vinyl )

 

Dear Dr Kate Burridge, Professor of Linguistics,

Save Ma Soule !

Edited June 2, 2014 by E.Man

[Keith Anderson]

An album is something a artist records and produces onto different media, that media nowadays is either a CD, Vinyl record or as digital files. A vinyl record is not an album.

look a paddock full of sheeps

Edited June 2, 2014 by keitha