Talk:Big Ben
ThE BiG beN
People call the tower big ben. But her real name call The clock tower or St. Stephens tower
ErFinder: Sir Benjamin Hall in year
The clock and tower or only the bell
[edit]The name, “Big Ben” originally referred to the great bell in the clock tower. For over a generation English speakers in Britain and abroad have used the name primarily for the clock and tower.` It can therefore be argued that “Big Ben” has come to mean the clock and tower through common usage. The tower is also incorrectly called, “St Stephen's Tower”, which can cause confusion as there is another tower in the Palace of Westminster correctly called St Stephen's Tower. By contrast calling the clock and tower, “Big Ben” does not cause confusion. Worldwide the clock and tower are known by that name. Using the term, “Big Ben” only for the bell is more likely to confuse large numbers of English speakers who have always used, “Big Ben” for the whole structure. English is a living language and living languages change over time. “Each time we make use of a word, it goes to work and shapes a new meaning in each listener according to past experiences of the listener and the current context of the word's use.”[1]Barbara Shack 06:09, 16 January 2008 (UTC)