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Thread: Can we trust Wikipedia the website?

  1. #1
    cawatawa is offline Newbie
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    Smile Can we trust Wikipedia the website?

    Hi everybod

    I was told that we can not consider the website Wikipedia as a source of reference .
    Is that right?

    The second question is :
    Is the Algerian a dialect or a language?

    Thank you
    skystar30097 likes this.

  2. #2
    BobK's Avatar
    BobK is offline Harmless drudge
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    Default Re: Can we trust Wikipedia the website?

    Quote Originally Posted by cawatawa View Post
    Hi everybod

    I was told that we can not consider the website Wikipedia as a source of reference .
    Is that right?

    There's good and bad in it. Use it carefully.

    The second question is :
    Is the Algerian a dialect or a language?

    Thank you
    Someone (Wikipedia would tell you who ) said a language was 'a dialect with an army'. The line between them is thin, fuzzy, and arguable. Politics usually comes into it. Scots can be seen as a dialect of English, akin to Northumbrian. But on their web site Wir Ain Lied claim vociferously that it's a language. You'll get similar arguments about Algerian. Reliable authorities will line up on either side of the argument.

    b

  3. #3
    konungursvia's Avatar
    konungursvia is offline Key Member
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    Default Re: Can we trust Wikipedia the website?

    To me, they're two languages if they cannot be mutually understood by ordinary speakers without specific education in the other.
    cawatawa likes this.

  4. #4
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    5jj
    5jj is offline Moderator
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    Default Re: Can we trust Wikipedia the website?

    Quote Originally Posted by cawatawa View Post
    I was told that we can not consider the website Wikipedia as a source of reference .
    Yes. A Wikipedia article is no better, and no worse, than the person who edited it last - perhaps ten seconds before you looked at it.

    Wikipedia is a wonderful resource. I cannot now imagine life without it. I use it several times a day, every day of the year, but it has no value as a source of reference. We have no idea who edited the articles last. It is magnificent for finding information quickly and efficiently and, given that obvious misinformation is usually corrected within minutes by self-appointed editors, the information is usually accurate and very up-to-date.

    But, you cannot quote as a reference an article that may have been written only ten minutes ago by the eleven-year-old thug who lives next door to you.
    cawatawa, jebonfikri and bhaisahab like this.
    Context is important. Please provide enough for us to be able to deal effectively with your question.
    Your thread title should include all or part of the word/phrase being discussed.
    If you just want to know the meaning of a word, try OneLook Dictionary Search first.


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