Talk:Formal comma
Why mapping comma not formal comma?
For pedagogical reasons. To the average person without a math degree, "formal" refers to formal clothes, formal speech, etc. It has connotations of stiffness and awkwardness, quite misleading. And the expression "merely a formality" implies something even more misleading. Whereas "mapping comma" captures the essence of the concept fairly well. We mentally map 5/4 to a major 3rd, not a minor 3rd or a diminished 4th. Because even though 5/4 isn't 81/64, it's only a comma away. --TallKite (talk) 04:45, 16 July 2025 (UTC)
- You shouldn't assume people intuitively define major thirds with respect to 81/64, but in general I see your point. -- VectorGraphics (talk) 09:15, 16 July 2025 (UTC)
- But also, I do think the page should be called formal comma, as it is the primary term in use on the wiki, just as with "monzo". -- VectorGraphics (talk) 09:19, 16 July 2025 (UTC)