Posted under General
I was thinking that before things get out of hand, we should probably define what constitutes a bonnet for tag purposes. Currently, most images with this one seem to reflect a nightcap or especially a frill. Semantic drift gives us some latitude to redefine it for our own use, but to that end, we must first have a definition. Any suggestions on this?
Updated
Well, they're brimless head coverings. One point you could argue, if you wish it to be more specific, is whether bonnets must be tied in place under the chin rather than sitting loosely atop the head or grasping it (like a headband.) If they are, Rozen Maidens and some other gothlolis would retain the 'bonnet' tag, but we'd have to find another tag for the headware of maids and Touhou characters.
'frill' and 'nightcap' might work there, but those terms are just as vague as 'bonnet' if not more so.
Well I don't especially have a problem with calling it a bonnet if that's what people think it is-- language does that, despite all efforts to the contrary (in fact, the advent of widespread communication via the Internet has only served to accelerate the process in many cases). The point is more that, unlike language, data must be prescriptively defined to be of use for classification.
We have, thus far, commandeered "bonnet" for the purpose of marking what is, for data purposes, a fairly wide range of things, the only commonality being their application as archaic head coverings. Are we okay with this? If not, what should be done?
