Dear bonzo-ga;
Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to answer your interesting
question. Finding a difference between these two actions is like
trying to determine is jogging is actually running or if there is a
difference between strolling and walking. Certainly, in relation to
your question and the examples I have given, “A” can indeed be
considered much the same as “B”, but the test to determine if they are
one and the same lies in the proof that “B” is also the same as “A”.
If these can be revered and the relationship remains the same then the
answer is “yes”. If, when reversed, the relationship dramatically
differs in definition, then the answer is “no”. Consider these
definitions:
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the verb “spit” as:
“to eject (as saliva) from the mouth : EXPECTORATE”
It further defines “expectorate” as:
“to eject from the throat or lungs by coughing or hawking and
spitting”
The does in fact fit the description of a sneeze. In this case then,
thus far at least, we have established that “A” (the act of spitting)
is very much like what we understand “B” (the act of sneezing) to be.
Reading on, we find that the dictionary defines a sneeze as:
“to make a sudden violent spasmodic audible expiration of breath
through the nose and mouth especially as a reflex act.”
There is no mention of “spitting” in the definition of a sneeze;
therefore we must assume that the act of spitting is not a
prerequisite action for a reflex to be considered a sneeze. Our test
to prove that “B” (sneezing) is like “A” (spitting) has failed, so the
answer to your question is “NO”.
Finally, when we spit, we normally eject only “saliva” from our mouths
(except in instances where we are intentionally spitting a specific
object form our mouths, of course). When we sneeze, on the other hand,
we’re not spitting at all. In fact, sneezing, also called
“sternutation”, is your body's way of removing an irritation from your
NOSE. In doing so we evacuate a number of things such as mucus,
phlegm, debris, irritants, foreign matter, etc. not only from our
throat, and mouth where saliva is present and occasionally allowed to
inadvertently escape, but also from our nose (sinuses) and lungs where
saliva is not present. The extraneous material that an unfortunate
bystander within range often gets drenched with might not be saliva at
all, meaning that he had not been spat upon, but he did get…well, for
simplicity sake, lets just call it “sprayed”.
Getting someone’s “spit” on you from a sneeze is merely an occasional
byproduct of the sneeze itself. Certainly you’ve seen people hold
their noses and sneeze which involves ruptured eyes and eardrums
perhaps, but no saliva at all. When someone does do a big AH-CHOO on
you, you may in fact be getting droplets of spit on you, but are not
being spit on. If I am washing my car and accidentally (or rudely or
carelessly) spray a stream of water over my car and hit you, it cannot
be said that I sprayed you, even though you were definitely sprayed
with water and I was the one who did it. Lifewise, by definition, to
be spit on requires intent, and there is normally no intent to spit on
someone when we sneeze since the act itself is involuntary. Let’s see
if we can examine this in the same way you asked the question:
If BrotherD sneezes toward BrotherK, and BrotherK gets wet with saliva
as a direct result of this sneeze, BrotherD has not "spit" on
BrotherK, he was just being very rude and inconsiderate.
In the same manner then, if BrotherK chooses to smash a pie in the
face of BrotherD for having sneezed on him, BrotherD, who most
certainly will have pie in his mouth and on his lips, cannot
necessarily be considered the person who ate the pie even though he
has a great deal of it on his face.
See what I mean?
Below you will find that I have carefully defined my search strategy
for you in the event that you need to search for more information. By
following the same type of searches that I did you may be able to
enhance the research I have provided even further. I hope you find
that that my research exceeds your expectations. If you have any
questions about my research please post a clarification request prior
to rating the answer. Otherwise, I welcome your rating and your final
comments and I look forward to working with you again in the near
future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.
Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga
INFORMATION SOURCES
MERRIAM-WEBSTER DICTIONARY
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary
KID’S HEALTH – WHAT MAKES ME SNEEZE
http://kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/sneeze.html
SEARCH STRATEGY
SEARCH ENGINE USED:
Google ://www.google.com
SEARCH TERMS USED:
SPIT
SALIVA
SNEEZE |
