Ridiculous Posts: The name of the "X" button the PS4 Controller.
Apparently, someone at Sony in the UK REALLY dislikes people calling the "X" an "ex" rather than a "cross" button. With the justification being that the others are all shape names. Square, Triangle, Circle and Cross. With the argument being that if we call the X button "ex" then we should be call the circle button?
But, I would argue that this is utterly pedantic. And, perhaps just a little incorrect. Firstly, when I say imagine the shape of a cross... you're more likely to think of a + or a crucifix. And secondly, what shape is it that marks the spot on a pirate map? The SHAPE "ex".
I'm not going to lie, I would suspect that, technically speaking, "ex" is a letter and "cross" is the historically accurate name of that shape. I haven't done that research.
But, when you think of the "pirate treasure map" example, it is obvious that the mark is intended as a shape. As an indicator. NOT as the letter "X". And yet, it is almost always (if not simply "always") referred to as "ex". This tells me that in common English, "ex" has come to mean both the shape of an X and the letter which it represents.
And, the purpose of language... is to be understood. Unfortunately for the poor soul in Sony marketing who posted that message, I think he would find that while virtually everyone would know what you're talking about when you told them to hit the "ex" button on the PS4 controller, many would require time to process a command to hit the "cross" button. And some users may even fail entirely to process the request.
Now, this is of course all from the perspective of a Canadian. And while I'm fairly certain that the same is true in the US, the possibility certainly exists that elsewhere in the English speaking world that "cross" is accurately used to refer to all instances of the "X" shape which are not used for letters.
But, to say it is wrong to call it "ex" seems absurd. In fact, doubly absurd. The reason Sony went with shapes for buttons was because letters are bound to particular alphabets and that can seem exclusionary to potential users in countries which don't use those alphabets. It also meant some on screen instructions didn't need to be localized, and so forth. Ask a Japanese person what the Triangle button is and they will exclaim 三角形 (sankakk-kei), NOT "triangle".
So, the true answer is, the "X" button has no name. It is a symbol. The correct way to refer to it is the way which is most commonly understood among those you are interacting with. It would make NO sense for me, around an English speaking audience, to call the "O" button 丸、円、or サークル. Where I live I call that the "circle" button because I the English people around me will understand me when I call it that. And, by "ex"tension... I call the X button "ex" for that same reason.
I know this post seems ridiculous to be making. But, it really sparked my interested because it intersects perfectly in a way with my learning Japanese.
In fact, as a matter of interest, I went to see what the Japanese word for cross is... I didn't find one. I suspect rather strongly that they call it エックス (ekk-kusu) which of course would be loan word derived from ... "ex". Which is masterfully hilarious to me as Sony is a Japanese company! I somehow doubt that the tweet was sanctioned by their head office.
When it comes to language, it is rarely a smart idea to stand up on a podium and proclaim your way to correct, or even most correct. Language is a fluid thing. They adopt and abandon rules and words regularly. Meanings shift and change. The one constant is only that they are used to be understood.
The very fact that this individual knows which button people are referring to when they call it the "ex" button showcases his naievity.
But, I would argue that this is utterly pedantic. And, perhaps just a little incorrect. Firstly, when I say imagine the shape of a cross... you're more likely to think of a + or a crucifix. And secondly, what shape is it that marks the spot on a pirate map? The SHAPE "ex".
I'm not going to lie, I would suspect that, technically speaking, "ex" is a letter and "cross" is the historically accurate name of that shape. I haven't done that research.
But, when you think of the "pirate treasure map" example, it is obvious that the mark is intended as a shape. As an indicator. NOT as the letter "X". And yet, it is almost always (if not simply "always") referred to as "ex". This tells me that in common English, "ex" has come to mean both the shape of an X and the letter which it represents.
And, the purpose of language... is to be understood. Unfortunately for the poor soul in Sony marketing who posted that message, I think he would find that while virtually everyone would know what you're talking about when you told them to hit the "ex" button on the PS4 controller, many would require time to process a command to hit the "cross" button. And some users may even fail entirely to process the request.
Now, this is of course all from the perspective of a Canadian. And while I'm fairly certain that the same is true in the US, the possibility certainly exists that elsewhere in the English speaking world that "cross" is accurately used to refer to all instances of the "X" shape which are not used for letters.
But, to say it is wrong to call it "ex" seems absurd. In fact, doubly absurd. The reason Sony went with shapes for buttons was because letters are bound to particular alphabets and that can seem exclusionary to potential users in countries which don't use those alphabets. It also meant some on screen instructions didn't need to be localized, and so forth. Ask a Japanese person what the Triangle button is and they will exclaim 三角形 (sankakk-kei), NOT "triangle".
So, the true answer is, the "X" button has no name. It is a symbol. The correct way to refer to it is the way which is most commonly understood among those you are interacting with. It would make NO sense for me, around an English speaking audience, to call the "O" button 丸、円、or サークル. Where I live I call that the "circle" button because I the English people around me will understand me when I call it that. And, by "ex"tension... I call the X button "ex" for that same reason.
I know this post seems ridiculous to be making. But, it really sparked my interested because it intersects perfectly in a way with my learning Japanese.
In fact, as a matter of interest, I went to see what the Japanese word for cross is... I didn't find one. I suspect rather strongly that they call it エックス (ekk-kusu) which of course would be loan word derived from ... "ex". Which is masterfully hilarious to me as Sony is a Japanese company! I somehow doubt that the tweet was sanctioned by their head office.
When it comes to language, it is rarely a smart idea to stand up on a podium and proclaim your way to correct, or even most correct. Language is a fluid thing. They adopt and abandon rules and words regularly. Meanings shift and change. The one constant is only that they are used to be understood.
The very fact that this individual knows which button people are referring to when they call it the "ex" button showcases his naievity.
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