Succession vs secession

[Claudia]

Right now, I'm playing catchup with the "The Fall"-books, and I noticed one thing in 2 different books (The Crimson Shadow and The Poisoned Chalice) now: the term "succession" refering to Andor having seceded from the UFP.

I.e. (The Crimson Shadow): "A blow to a Federation already suffering a crisis of confidence from the Andorian succession—”
(The Poisoned Chalice): "Andor’s succession from the Federation was still an open wound for many..."

Since English isn't my native language I thought I'd ask here: Isn't the noun "secession" instead of "succession"? Or does succession have a more comprehensive meaning in British English, especially since both authors using this term are from the UK?

It's strange what the mind becomes fixed on, and online dictionaries didn't really shed light on that question...

 

[Lonemagpie]

It should be secession (secede- to separate from), and not succession (succeed- to follow)...

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

Spelling and grammar checkers can't replace proofreaders because they have no knowledge of semantics.

 

[Idran]

Spelling and grammar checkers can't replace proofreaders because they have no knowledge of semantics.

Are you saying that Trek books don't have proofreaders?

Because otherwise this isn't a great example to hang that on.

 

[T'Ressa Dax]

Case of a proofreader seeing what they expected and not what was really there? I know I didn't even notice the wrong word being used, and I do know the difference.

 

[JD]

Yeah, I don't remember noticing that either. It's an easy enough mistake to make.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

I'm saying that in this age of automatic (and often overly aggressive) spell-check software, human proofreading has fallen off a great deal from what it once was, and spell-check and grammar-check software can introduce errors of their own.

 

[DimesDan]

human proofreading has fallen off a great deal from what it once was,

And there is a reason for that.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

And there is a reason for that.

At least two reasons, actually: fewer people literate enough to proofread competently are willing to do the work, and fewer people are willing to take the bottom-line hit necessary to pay competent proofreaders.

 

[Claudia]

Okay, so not a mistake born out of my English skills, but rather the result of my nitpicking neurosis. Thanks for clearing that up.

 

[psCargile]

Was Andor's secession successful enough to become a succession?

 

[Idran]

At least two reasons, actually: fewer people literate enough to proofread competently are willing to do the work, and fewer people are willing to take the bottom-line hit necessary to pay competent proofreaders.

Do you have evidence that this is happening beyond personal observation? Like, numbers comparing number of errors in a broad range of modern works vs. a similarly broad range of works from a couple decades ago? Employment rates on proofreaders over time? With confirmation bias and all, it's impossible to actually trust any sort of personal sense or view on something like this.

 

[DimesDan]

fewer people literate enough to proofread competently are willing to do the work,

What a wonderfully arrogant and snobbish statement.

fewer people are willing to take the bottom-line hit necessary to pay competent proofreaders.

Nope, just the one reason, that being money or lack there of and it's more the case companies probably not always being able to afford more than a quick proofreading of a document.

Do you have evidence that this is happening beyond personal observation? Like, numbers comparing number of errors in a broad range of modern works vs. a similarly broad range of works from a couple decades ago? Employment rates on proofreaders over time? With confirmation bias and all, it's impossible to actually trust any sort of personal sense or view on something like this.

Well in news print, there are less sub editors (in the UK anyway) who would normally pick up on spelling and grammar issues due to less money being generated because of advertising and thus they can't be employed.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Well in news print, there are less sub editors (in the UK anyway) who would normally pick up on spelling and grammar issues .

Fewer.

(Sorry, I work on and off in editing on military history books...)

 

[psCargile]

Patrick Warburton steps out as Lemony Snicket and explains that "literate enough" in this situation means proofreaders without an extensive vocabulary.
At least, that the way I interpreted the sentence.

 

[Claudia]

Another question: What's the difference between Andoria and Andor?

The Poisoned Chalice:
"He had officially resigned his commission as a Starfleet officer before he fled the Bajor system for Andoria."
"It’s widely known that Tromsø is where Andoria kept her embassy on Earth."
"That is a legal document of entitlement from the Andor Ministry of Citizens."
"Is Andor willing to risk its readmission to the Federation over one man’s liberty?"

The Memory Beta-wiki refers to "Worlds of DS9: Andor" (which I haven't read) that Andor is the official name of the planet, but that non-Andorians frequently and mistakenly refered to it as Andoria. But since WoDS9 was released quite a bit earlier, why use the different nomenclature still in later books? Why not just settle for Andor and be done with it?

 

[Christopher]

Another question: What's the difference between Andoria and Andor?

Same as the difference between Italy and Italia or Austria and Osterreich, I guess -- different forms of the same name. In real-world terms, the difference is that everyone assumed Andorians came from Andor (and DS9 canonically used that name several times) until Enterprise changed it to Andoria for some reason. Maybe the idea was that the name was different in the past, or maybe the ENT writers just forgot what DS9 had used.

 

[Nyotarules]

The same difference when humans call our planet Earth and aliens call it Terra or the Sol system

 

[Kemaiku]

Another question: What's the difference between Andoria and Andor?

Andoria is a large blue gas giant, Andor Prime is either a large M-class moon or planetoid orbiting it, home to the Andorian race.

 

[Christopher]

Andoria is a large blue gas giant, Andor Prime is either a large M-class moon or planetoid orbiting it, home to the Andorian race.

That's one conjecture. In my novels, though, I've at least implied that the gas giant is named Fesoan (from the old Worlds of the Federation coinage of Andor's indigenous name).