Talk:Tanga (clothing)
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I'm not sure if I agree with Chameleon's decision to summarily erase the content of this entry and redirect to "main article" (sic) for being a "dictionary definition." First of all, it's not obvious that "thong" is the correct main article. The previous article gave three possible meanings for "tanga": a thong, a loincloth or a string bikini. Second, there was a bit of encyclopedic info there, regarding timeline, description of the loincloth, etc. MCBastos 15:11, 11 Jul 2004 (UTC)
- Any such info, if it is valuable, can go into the English article on thongs/G-strings. We already have two words for the item; we don't need another. "Tanga" is a foreign language dictionary definition. In the English article, it is already mentioned that thongs came from native loincloths, and that they can now be worn as underwear or swimwear. The only special contribution this article could supply is the etymology of this Spanish word, which is useless because we don't say it in English. Foreign terms need only be used in an English encyclopaedia if they refer to something for which there is no English word, e.g. Horchata, but not Tanga. We may as well have articles on Braguitas, Pantalones, Calcetines, Zapatos... — Chameleon My page/My talk 15:52, 11 Jul 2004 (UTC)
- In this case (if "tanga" is not used in English), wouldn't it make more sense to remove the entry totally? This would also reduce some possible confusion as to ethymology, since "thong" comes from Middle English and "tanga" apparently comes from Tupi-Guarani.(By the way, I seem to remember seeing "zapatos" used in English to refer to a specific kind of footwear, apparently a kind of sandals...)MCBastos 15:23, 12 Jul 2004 (UTC)
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- I thought about listing the page on Votes for Deletion, but then decided that that page is clogged-up enough as it is and that Tanga would be a harmless redirect. It's not inconceivable that someone, some day, might somehow come across the word and look it up on Wikipedia. The redirect will then be vaguely useful. It also discourages people from recreating the Tanga article by making it more difficult (one extra click).
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- Incidently the OED not only has a definition that differentiates it from "thong", but lists uses in English from 1912 up to 1976, many using it as an ordinary word. (It also mentions "tanga" as a unit of money which I should have remembered, I have stamps denominated in tangas.) When in doubt, consult the authorities! Stan 17:22, 12 Jul 2004 (UTC)
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- Oh, and "braguitas" is not in the OED, so apparently it hasn't migrated into English yet. Stan 17:26, 12 Jul 2004 (UTC)
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- Wow, I've just found it on www.askoxford.com. It claims it's used in Britain. Perhaps one or two people do still, so I'm glad it redirects to the article on G-strings. If anything informative can be said about the word tanga, it can be put in the main article. — Chameleon My page/My talk 17:39, 12 Jul 2004 (UTC)
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- Nice to know that. Only... from the OED definition (briefs composed of small panels -- note plural, thongs only have one panel -- connected by string on the sides), we come back to my original argument: that "tanga" does not mean the same as "thong," so it should not redirect to "thong," but possibly to "bikini", or maybe "loincloth."MCBastos 22:15, 12 Jul 2004 (UTC)
