show/stand for

[diamondcutter]

Quetzalcoatl ... the Aztec god of the world. The snake shows Earth and plants, and the feather shows the air and sky.

Source: Kid’s Box 6, an English textbook for children, CUP

Does the verb ‘shows’ above mean ‘stands for’?

 

[teechar]

Yes, I think it means represents.

 

[diamondcutter]

Thanks, Teechar.

Is this usage common?

 

[emsr2d2]

I'm not keen on it at all.

 

[diamondcutter]

I'm not keen on it at all.

Thanks, Emsr2d2.

Could I say this?
That usage of ‘show’ is not very common. It is not so appropriate for children to learn this usage, and it is best to change the verb ‘show’ to ‘represent’ or ‘stand for’.

 

[jutfrank]

A better option would be symbolises. I don't think shows is a good word choice there. It isn't that it's inappropriate for kids—in fact, I suspect that the writer may have chosen it specifically because the book is for kids.

By the way, diamondcutter, don't you think your English is at a level now where you can move on from using Kid's Box 6? It really isn't a great model of authentic language use, you know.

 

[diamondcutter]

Thanks for you reply, Jutfrank.

Actually, I teach kids English. But I’m not an English native speaker. I’ll be a life-long English learner. I think teachers on this forum are the ones who are both native speakers and English teachers. So when I chose the member type, I filled in ‘student or learner’. Did I understand the rule correctly?

 

[emsr2d2]

I suggest you update your member profile to English Teacher. Not all the teachers here are native speakers. Changing your member info will help us to answer you better. You could add to your signature line something like "I teach English to XXX-year-olds".

 

[jutfrank]

Okay. It's useful for us to know that you teach, so I think you should change your profile to remind us of that. You don't have to be a native-speaker to show 'English Teacher' in your profile.