Poison Oak

With summer only about a month away, many native plants around San Diego are thriving.  Because they are adapted to dry conditions, they come to life with just a little water. This includes the colorful poison oak (Wikipedia description).  

The sign above is one of the best that I've seen at explaining the danger of poison oak. The photos are to show you what it looks like at two different times of the year (spring photos are above and below and fall is in the middle) and to give you some useful descriptive language.

As the sign says, sometimes the plant looks dead or woody, but it's still toxic to humans. You can get a rash (**Warning: graphic photos) from the oil urushiol in the leaves or stems of this plant. Although your dog may not be as susceptible to rash, if it runs through poison oak, you, as the pet owner, may get exposed to the toxic oil by touching your dog's fur.

Cramp Wheels to the Curb

Photo by Sarah Tillinghast Jenson

Have you ever seen this sign? Where did you see it? You can get a ticket for not obeying this parking rule, but what does it mean?

The directions are to "PARK PARALLEL" and in bold and larger font, the sign states, "CRAMP WHEELS TO CURB." Finally, at the bottom, it says to "SET BRAKES."

If you got your license to drive, you certainly know the words "park," "wheels," "brakes," and probably "curb."  What does parallel mean here?  Did you have to parallel park when you took the driving test? These days cars are pretty smart and have sensors on the sides and rear to help you squeeze your car into an empty space on the street.

If you live in a hilly part of San Francisco (is there any place that doesn't have hills in SFO?), you must know how to follow these directions. There are two directions that your wheels can face, depending on whether you are facing downhill or facing uphill. If you are facing downhill, your front tires need to be turned toward the curb. If you are facing uphill, your front tires need to be turned facing outward so that if the car's break failed, the car's front wheels would hit the curb. Otherwise, the car could roll into the center of the street.

Did you know that even without this sign, "Wheel cramping is required on all grades over 3% (hills) with or without the presence of signs. Block your wheels diagonally against the curb by turning your wheels into the curb when facing downhill and out to the street when facing uphill." For more advice, see City of San Diego's Official Website.

P.S. There are other meanings, of course, of cramp. I often get leg cramps, and ladies will also be familiar with another kind of monthly cramps. Thanks to Sarah for capturing this sign!

"Stay On Path and Stay Off Road"

If you go out in the world armed with a camera and the idea of capturing English in action, it is amazing how many signs you will see that you never noticed before.

This sign has simple directions, but instead of saying that people should stay on the path and stay off the road, it states that "foot traffic" should stay on the path.

What goes into the design of a sign for parks? I like the color that has been used and that the sign is on a wooden post. This blends well with the natural setting. However, at well-visited sites such as Torrey Pines State Reserve, are the words used on signs vetted by any non-native speakers of English?  I sincerely doubt it.

The choice of "foot traffic" as the subject of these phrasal verbs (stay on and stay off) could have been meant to be all-inclusive. I have to admit there are other animals besides people that have feet. Maybe this is a way to include dogs' feet along with people's feet in one sign. Translation: "All animals with feet that produce traffic" should move on the trail and not on the paved road.

Reading signs has definitely made me much more aware of all the ways that English can confuse its readers and why signs are often NOT read. They may have been put there as protection for the parks in case of a law suit by a pedestrian who gets hit by a car while walking in the street rather than staying on the path. What do you think?