Poll: What should human groups be called?
- Thread starter jshap243
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Depends on the context of the group.
You can have "crowds" of anything, but even in the context of a human group, a crowd is generally ad-hoc, not a permanent fixture.
Prior to civilization, a "band" of humans was the smallest unit of organization; usually based around a family.
Bands grouped up into "tribes", at which point the bands would be about the same as "clans" under a tribal structure.
The trick in the context you are trying to assign is that other animals live and travel in groups specifically for survival. They have nuclear "self-sufficient" groups that encompass the entirety of the individuals' existence. Generally, those were "tribes" for humans, today, we might assign that to a "commune", but not all humans currently identify with tribes or communes.
In the context of civilization, we specialize.
We have families, that might be what you are looking for, but it isn't specific to the species.
However, in a geographic sense, we have neighborhoods, communities, cities, states/providences, and nations. Though there is a decreasing amount of inter-dependence in those.
Based on professions we have things like guilds, unions, bars, boards, associations.
As far as interests we have things like clubs, or just what we call "organizations".
I'm just not sure the label you are looking for has context within a civilization. Groups of people together are primarily ad-hoc, and labeled specifically to the task. One human can be a member of several groups, and members of groups are not necessarily members of the same other groups as the other members of that same group.
You can have "crowds" of anything, but even in the context of a human group, a crowd is generally ad-hoc, not a permanent fixture.
Prior to civilization, a "band" of humans was the smallest unit of organization; usually based around a family.
Bands grouped up into "tribes", at which point the bands would be about the same as "clans" under a tribal structure.
The trick in the context you are trying to assign is that other animals live and travel in groups specifically for survival. They have nuclear "self-sufficient" groups that encompass the entirety of the individuals' existence. Generally, those were "tribes" for humans, today, we might assign that to a "commune", but not all humans currently identify with tribes or communes.
In the context of civilization, we specialize.
We have families, that might be what you are looking for, but it isn't specific to the species.
However, in a geographic sense, we have neighborhoods, communities, cities, states/providences, and nations. Though there is a decreasing amount of inter-dependence in those.
Based on professions we have things like guilds, unions, bars, boards, associations.
As far as interests we have things like clubs, or just what we call "organizations".
I'm just not sure the label you are looking for has context within a civilization. Groups of people together are primarily ad-hoc, and labeled specifically to the task. One human can be a member of several groups, and members of groups are not necessarily members of the same other groups as the other members of that same group.
One humanoid race might prefer forming large groups, another may pack into small tribes,
while another may be distant from each member of it.
As for you apes, I don't know...Clans? Packs? Litters?
So many questions, not a single answer...
~Tom<3
while another may be distant from each member of it.
As for you apes, I don't know...Clans? Packs? Litters?
So many questions, not a single answer...
~Tom<3
yeah i know it's technically a crowd when a bunch of people, but it's TECHNICALLY a "crowd" of pencils gathering in my pocket so i wanted you to use your imagination.
And as far as "what this is for?" it's not "for" anything, i was just curious. hence the off-topic discussion-ness.
And as far as "what this is for?" it's not "for" anything, i was just curious. hence the off-topic discussion-ness.
There already are collective nouns defined for certain types of people.
My favourite? Probably... a blackening of shoemakers.
My favourite? Probably... a blackening of shoemakers.