Talk:Asia/Archive 1

message: Why can't the MIddle East be on the list of regions of the world.  It already has an article but here it is just considered part of Asia.
:The middle east is just a political term for South West Asia, it is a physical geographical part of the continent. Robwi 23:50, 16 March 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: You are right.  The Middle East is its own region.  The US government's foreign relations sector recognizes this fact. The US government's regional scheme is unrepresented here at the current time.--DarkTea 12:25, 4 February 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Middle East should be its own region

message: An automated Wikipedia link suggester has some possible wiki link suggestions for the Asia article:
* Can link land mass: ...ned by subtracting Europe and Africa from the great land mass of Africa-Eurasia. The boundaries are vague, especially...
::landmass dabs to continent, which is already used. This link would not enhance the article. --Theo  (Talk) 11:38, 22 Mar 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Implemented. --Theo  (Talk) 12:06, 22 Mar 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: West Bank and Gaza Strip dabs to the individual territories so this is not an enhancement. --Theo  (Talk) 12:24, 22 Mar 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Suggest 3 possible wiki links for [[Asia]]. 

message: Cantus, you removed my xplanet image, re-inserting the Plate Carrée Projection projection (without comment). Now, the reason I created that image was because that projection results in extreme distortion when showing a variation in latitude as great as required to show the entirety of Asia. I argue that the simulated 'satellite view' gives a superior impression of the shape as well as the size of the continent in relation to the globe. dab (ᛏ) 17:47, 7 Mar 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: satellite image

message: so, what would be that celebrated Greek word for the plains of Ephesus? One would assume it was Asia, from Assuwa. These are not two separate possibilities, but a hypothesis of an Anatolian loan into Greek. dab (ᛏ) 18:29, 11 July 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: well, the Greek term is probably from Assuwa. As for Assuwa, god knows, maybe from Akkadian (although Hitt. assu- "good" seems likely). dab (ᛏ) 19:17, 11 July 2005 (UTC)

text: that's an argumentum ex silentio now. why should Homer not use it if it was from Akkadian? dab (ᛏ) 19:56, 11 July 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: ephesus?

message: First of all, anonymous, you are wrong: that is not the most historically accepted (or in any way accepted) etymology of Asia, which is an Ancient Greek term most commonly derived from Akkadian asu. Second of all, I have seen no credible reference that supports the alleged Hsia etymology, so if you want to include it at all, provide a reference, because I have good references for the Akkadian etymology. In any case, you cannot say in a Wiki article that the Hsia etymology is "the most historically accepted", which is a plainly false statement.Alexander 007 18:52, 11 July 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Xia/Hsia 

message: I was relying on 
:Asius, called Phrygian leader, served in the same company as Helenus and Deiphobus, sons of King Priam of Troy. Asius was the son of Hyrtacus and Arisbe, Priam 1's first wife.
but you are right I should have checked the text. dab (ᛏ) 21:35, 11 July 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: well, let's be agnostic and call them unrelated. I don't have a problem with the Semitic etymology being present, but I do also think it is unlikely. For one thing, from the point of view of the Akkadians, the sun certainly didn't set in western Anatolia. dab (ᛏ) 22:16, 11 July 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Asius

message: The article Geography of Asia labels all the islands in the Aegean Sea as European, while on the other hand the article Transcontinental country assign those islands closest to the mainland of Asia Minor to Asia. Which is more correct? Which criteria are to be used (geography or politics or history or infrastructure...etc.)?
--Big Adamsky 20:41, 9 November 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Islands west of the Asian mainland 

message: "and also describes a marsh as 461" -- what is that supposed to mean? (too lazy to figure it out myself just now). dab (ᛏ) 22:52, 18 November 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: vandalism

message: We need to present this as the way Westerners thought about the world when they didn't know much about anything outside of Europe.  Although "Asia" is used in many names and a common word, more properly, people are often referring to East Asia or Eurasian minus Europe, minus the Middle East (i.e. grab bag of stuff out to the East).  As it stands, this article is crap.
Wikipedia takes on a world-view POV. Yo Mama is crap. Pirus 03:12, 5 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Asia is not a continent 

message: Cite an example if you'd like.  At major US universities, for example, there is often Middle East Studies, South Asian Studies, and East Asian Studies.  There is no Asian studies because, now that us Westerners are a little more sophisticated, we don't dump everything we don't know about into a single grab bag anymore.
: Okay, but it seems like you are trying to affect some kind of change in everyone's conventional thinking here, and wikipedia isn't supposed to be a vehicle for that...  Asia as understood today and for centuries refers to the entire continent, as depicted on the map, if you have some different understanding you'd like everyone to accept, please make sure it isn't an original theory... ፈቃደ (ውይይት) 16:16, 17 December 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Political/Geopolitical 

message: Ironically, it was not in the traditions of any Asian country to call Asia Asia.  Classic (Greek) is not everyone else's classic (ie China's classic is... China).  Thus we will be specific and clear in this article and call things what they really are--Greek/Westerner or whatever may be the case.
:"Classical" as I used it, means as it was used in what is conventionally, and almost universally,  called "The Classical World", including Greece and the Middle East.  Greeks and Hellenes referred to the (originally Persian) lands East of Greece, as "Asia" -- whether they lived there themselves (as many of them did, hence "Asian Greeks") or whether they lived on the European side.  This is the English wikipedia, not the Chinese, and that's what "Classical" means in English.  As I stated before, Wikipedia is not the appropriate place or vehicle to try to engineer a drastic change in the standard perception everybody already has of things, whether you disagree with their perception or not...  Asia is Asia, and anyone who says the term should suddenly stop being used, is coming out of left field; You actually ask for citation that Asia is still referred to as Asia; I don't think "Reader's Digest" (the widest circulation of any periodical in the USA) calls it anything different, just for starters...   ፈቃደ (ውይይት) 18:55, 17 December 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  "Traditional" and "Classic" 

message: I want to point out that conservative arguments that say the concept of Asia is one that is derived from antiquity are really weak.  Asia Minor used to be basically Turkey.  But Turkey today is often considered a part of Europe (joining the EU)!
To have a more global perspective is surely one of the goals of an internet encyclopedia, especially one which can be read by anyone who understands the language all over the world.  Thus we can very easily clarify what traditional means and what classical means.  Classical Greek/Classical Roman/traditionally in the West are all very easy clarifications.  If it's so easy, why not use it?  It helps to clear up any confusion (classical can mean Greek/Roman/old Europe).
Ok, can we please stop using Antiquity, which itself is just a definitional page that disambuiates between several definitions?  It is clearly classical GREECE in this case.  No need to muck things up for the reader.
Also, please say WEST.  It is traditionally defined this way in the WEST.  We make remarks like this further down in the article--why do we not extend the same courtesy to the intro?
:For reasons alluded to above, these are POV assertions that fly in the face of other sources: by many definitions, Turkey (once known largely as Asia Minor) is both a part of Asia and Europe, in a physiogeographic and geopolitical sense (et al.).  In addition, Asia also has etymological roots from the Near East or Middle East, so Antiquity is accurate and Classical Greek less so.  And as for West, one could argue that we should remove notations of West further in the article; in fact, reiterating these viewpoints in the article or ones contrary to it implies an Eastern bias.  To that end, I will thoroughly peruse and edit the article to rectify perceived POV. E Pluribus Anthony 16:01, 18 December 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: The current edition reads fine.  I will respond, only to clarify: (1) the prior edition indicated the more general Antiquity (which embraces more than Greece and Rome) and your later edit (erroneously) indicated only ancient Greece.  (2) East-vs.-West usage isn't inherently POV, but only including one or the other is; this occurs later in the article, for both East and West.  All such mentions should be balanced with a NPOV.  No accusation intended, but I'll soon make edits that better balance the numerous views and mentions later in the article.
As well: 'please sign your comments!  Your edits won't be treated with as much skepticism if we can put a name to them. :)  Thanks!  E Pluribus Anthony 20:26, 18 December 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Classic/traditional Turkey 

message: "Continents are concepts of human geography (i.e., landscapes and landforms as interpreted by humans), similar to what "supercontinents" and other landmasses are to physical geography, and definitions may vary"
Trying to explain a concept with an even more unlikely understood concept is asking for trouble.  If the reader doesnt' know what human geography is, they might not know what a supercontinent is either.  Being direct and just saying it's not a concept out of geology or physical geography is much clearer.-314
:Hey: that seems fine!  That text predates my edits to it, so I applaud you for clarifying it.  :) E Pluribus Anthony 18:15, 18 December 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Bad Analogy