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the Eastern Semihemisphere?

Posted: 28 Apr 2020 00:04
by Sequor
What would be a good term for cutting out East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania wherever Austronesian languages are spoken? I've been thinking of using "the Eastern Semihemisphere", a term inspired by the musical term semihemiquaver since the Easterm Hemisphere alone would probably refer to Eurasia plus Africa plus Oceania. Such a term could presumably include Australia and Papua too, which I don't want to include, but I consider it fairly acceptable regardless.

But maybe you guys have good or better alternative terms.

Re: the Eastern Semihemisphere?

Posted: 28 Apr 2020 01:19
by Pabappa
It depends .... I like the term "Pacific Rim" but that also includes the whole west coast of the Americas too. If I was writing about an alt-history, I would probably just say "Pacific" and leave it at that ... context will indicate that Im not talking about California, Chile, etc.

Re: the Eastern Semihemisphere?

Posted: 28 Apr 2020 02:36
by elemtilas
Just curious: what makes that Semihemisphere "eastern"?

Of course, it's the same problem we have "eastern hemisphere" v "western hemisphere".

Would a geological approach like "Pacific Semihemisphere" work?

Re: the Eastern Semihemisphere?

Posted: 28 Apr 2020 05:39
by Sequor
Pabappa wrote: 28 Apr 2020 01:19It depends .... I like the term "Pacific Rim" but that also includes the whole west coast of the Americas too. If I was writing about an alt-history, I would probably just say "Pacific" and leave it at that ... context will indicate that Im not talking about California, Chile, etc.
I don't think I like "the Pacific (Rim)" precisely because it'd include California, Chile, etc. But you've given me the great idea of using "the West Pacific" (or "Western Pacific"). Pretty good for a radical alt-history at least. Depending on how it goes maybe even "the Northwest(ern) Pacific".
elemtilas wrote: 28 Apr 2020 02:36Just curious: what makes that Semihemisphere "eastern"?
Current convention. It's not a bad term at all if a lot of the economic/war activity ends up happening out of western or central Eurasia. Pretty sure that if Persia or India had conquered the world around, they would be the centre, and East Asia still East Asia (even if they call it something other than literally "Asia").

(Although I wonder whether the Americas would end up in the West or the East if so... Maybe they'd just be "the Other Side". The Americas are obviously in the West if the centre is Western Europe, but if the centre is Persia or India, it isn't so obvious.)

Re: the Eastern Semihemisphere?

Posted: 28 Apr 2020 12:16
by Aevas
Ser wrote: 28 Apr 2020 05:39
Pabappa wrote: 28 Apr 2020 01:19It depends .... I like the term "Pacific Rim" but that also includes the whole west coast of the Americas too. If I was writing about an alt-history, I would probably just say "Pacific" and leave it at that ... context will indicate that Im not talking about California, Chile, etc.
I don't think I like "the Pacific (Rim)" precisely because it'd include California, Chile, etc. But you've given me the great idea of using "the West Pacific" (or "Western Pacific"). Pretty good for a radical alt-history at least. Depending on how it goes maybe even "the Northwest(ern) Pacific".
The WHO seems to be using the Western Pacific for approximately that region, which seems like a decent precedent.

Re: the Eastern Semihemisphere?

Posted: 28 Apr 2020 14:27
by Salmoneus
This is usually just known as "Asia-Pacific".

Although wikipedia informs me that India is considered a core asia-pacific country (eg by the UN). Alternative, many American countries are included in APEC. However, I'd suggest ignoring both of these as politically-motivated extensions of the core concept.

I think that if, in a novel (for example) you used the term Asia-Pacific in a way that excluded the Subcontinent, people would understand that. I think it would be more elegant than a neologism like 'eastern semihemisphere'.

Re: the Eastern Semihemisphere?

Posted: 28 Apr 2020 18:43
by Creyeditor
Ser wrote: 28 Apr 2020 00:04 What would be a good term for cutting out East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania wherever Austronesian languages are spoken? I've been thinking of using "the Eastern Semihemisphere", a term inspired by the musical term semihemiquaver since the Easterm Hemisphere alone would probably refer to Eurasia plus Africa plus Oceania. Such a term could presumably include Australia and Papua too, which I don't want to include, but I consider it fairly acceptable regardless.

But maybe you guys have good or better alternative terms.
In the linguistic literature that deals with Macro-Areas, I have seen different terms. I think "Austronesia" is a transparent term that sounds very much analogous to Micronesia and Polynesia. Papua is of course to be included because there are Austronesian languages spokern there. I also heard Papuanesia, used for a similar concept. I really don't like Plurinesia, which I once read in a working paper, IIRC.

Re: the Eastern Semihemisphere?

Posted: 29 Apr 2020 17:23
by Curlyjimsam
There's at least some overlap with "the Far East", depending on exactly which region you're thinking of. "The Very Far East"?? It's not perfect, but it's not so many syllables ...