its a bonnet ya...

Ah language.... its a great means of communication isn't it ? we collectively agree on meaning of sounds made with our mouths so we can understand each other better... but every now and again we reach a impasse, a conflict based on a words meaning or what we subscribe to be the correct terminology to describe something. in some cases it is merely perspective based and is only a small distraction from the governing construct, that is, the point of the conversation. while for others it is a point of argument...

For those interacting with many nationalities, cultures and social constructs it is something encountered quite often, while @r0nd0n and myself like to tackle these discrepancies with comedy and copious amounts of tomfoolery on air, many take it quite seriously. This can sometimes lead to fisticuffs if combined with the right amount of ego and alcohol... sometimes ego and alcohol aren't even needed at all to get into intense arguments and some roughhousing.

But if we dissect the issue instead of creating conflict... what do we find ?

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Bonnet vs Hood - Concept

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Both hood and bonnet are terms which when traced through to origin have a simple meaning for understanding, these items were designed to cover a persons head. be it a shield from the sun, the cold or the elements... for comfort, for "style" or any other purpose, it covers "the head".

Bonnet - Hood

Now we move into the automotive section of the debacle. Cars can be a bit daunting for those who are not mechanically minded or for those who have no interest in how they work beyond turning the key and driving. However , there are a considerable amount of parts that makes cars work and they all have names as well. Again, some of the words and terms used can vary depending on where the car is manufactured, but the principal is the same.

For simplicity sake of this discussion, we can say that there is the: crank case, cylinder block, cylinder head, these are defined in the image below.

Heads Up

The terms are generally shortened to crank, block and head in automotive circles, and if you would like to see a number of these terms misused feel free to watch any of "The Fast & The Furious" movies (oooohhhhh burn, lolz). Its pretty clear to see that the head is at the top of the motor/engine, and it is the top part you can see when looking into the engine bay of a vehicle.

RB26DET

The cover over the top of the engine is in place to protect the engine from exposure to the elements. Water can be catastrophic if it gets in the wrong places, exposure to UV can make rubber hoses brittle, etc. so naturally there would need to be a cover over the top of the engine.... right above... "the head".....

From there it is a pretty straight line of thinking conceptually, the engines needs a cover, right underneath it is the head, what do we cover our heads with? pretty much anything would have done the job, hood &bonnet are easy ones....we could also have gone with a number of other head covers such as hat, helmet, fedora, yamaka, turban, crown.... feel free to get creative ;)

And just to be sure here are the definitions of both words utilized to scribe the car engine cover:

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Bonnet

noun: bonnet; plural noun: bonnets

1. a woman's or child's hat tied under the chin and with a brim framing the face.
   a soft, round brimless hat like a beret, as worn by men and boys in Scotland.
   Heraldry
   the velvet cap within a coronet.
   the ceremonial feathered headdress of a North American Indian.
   noun: war bonnet; plural noun: war bonnets

2. British
   the hinged metal canopy covering the engine of a motor vehicle.

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source

Hood

noun: hood; plural noun: hoods

1. a covering for the head and neck with an opening for the face, typically forming part of a coat or cloak. "a jacket with a detachable hood"
   synonyms: head covering, cowl, snood, scarf, head scarf
   a large hood-shaped piece of fabric, typically trimmed with fur or a similar material, worn over the shoulders of a university gown or a surplice to indicate the wearer's degree.
   Falconry
   a leather covering for a hawk's head.

2. a thing resembling a hood in shape or use.
   British
   a folding waterproof cover of a car, pram, etc.
   North American
   the hinged metal canopy covering the engine of a motor vehicle; the bonnet.
   a canopy to protect users of machinery or to remove fumes from it.
   a structure or marking resembling a hood on the head or neck of an animal.
   "the hood of a rearing cobra"
   the upper part of the flower of a plant such as a dead-nettle.

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source

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Conclusion

Well we can argue till the cows come home over which is correct and which is wrong, i think it all comes down to where you at , where you from, and how you been taught... but to quote Shakespeare "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"...

Does it really matter which word is used to describe something if both have said meaning in other regions, countries and areas? i think not, if we have the translation codes available to us then we can incorporate them into the conversation, and while it may take some extra brain power to process the conversation as long as we "understand the fundamental point" of the conversation, we get the idea of what is being expressed.

So what is the problem then? well as i said previously, what i think it comes down to is the semantics, people sometimes have difficulty with what is different from "their" norm, foreign words and concepts can cause cognitive dissonance... and we don like that. the ego steps in and tell us "they are wrong" and we listen, we refuse to let it go... toss in a little social identity theory, us vs them mentality and we get the pot nice and hot ;)

Ultimately it comes down to what is trying to be achieved in the conversation, if we are trying to communicate concepts and ideas we can easily get past such irrelevant differences in terminology, but if our goal is merely domination and to "win" we will find these discrepancies as points of interest to fortify our belief that "we are right and they are wrong".... how we chose to proceed is completely up to us.