>>37845675The problem is that words like "dolphin" or "whale", or even in clear casses like "Aardvarks", weren't made by scientists, and scientists can't control their evolution over time. That's why the latin names are used: it's something written written for the sciences that can't be swayed by public opinion. If the public always said that big cats other than, say tigers, weren't cats, then congratulations: the word "cat" in that world is scientifically vague because it's polyphyletic. Sometimes the common vernacular lines up with science, like with bear, and so scientists can use these words without causing confusion. But for something like, say, reptiles, it can get confusing since crocodiles are more closely related to birds than other reptiles, making the word "reptile" not specific enough for a lot of purposes. I'm just saying dolphin lyes at the far end of this spectrum, where when you talk about "dolphins as a whole", you'll inevitably confuse a lot of learned people, so it's better to just default to more specific, scientifically-derived terms, if that makes sense.
