Terminology

Terms are listed as they appear in the fourth edition. Where a term was withdrawn, the year of withdrawal is given. Withdrawn terms remain in circulation in the veterinary literature, over which the Association has no authority.

affected side

Not a defined term. The expression appears in the founding correspondence and has never been adopted into the standard. The Working Group has declined three requests to define it.

Annex C

The veterinary application of the standard. Adopted 2008 by the General Assembly. The Association was not consulted on its drafting and has recorded this in every edition since.

aspect

The orientation in which a specimen presents to the examiner. Replaces presentation, which was withdrawn in 2019 because it was consistently confused with aspect.

attackwithdrawn

The onset of a movement. Withdrawn from the standard in 2011 without a replacement term. The Working Group has stated that no replacement is required and that the concept was never necessary.

Back Sneezing

An involuntary reflex first described in 1994. The designation of the Association derives from this term and is not open to revision. Four requests to revise it have been received and declined. A fifth is pending.

bore

The internal diameter of a passage, in the anatomical sense only. The Working Group notes with regret that the 2013 draft employed both available senses of this word within a single paragraph, and that the paragraph was circulated to the membership before the error was identified.

candidate

A person admitted to examination. A person who has not been admitted to examination is a correspondent, whatever that person may believe.

classification

The assignment of a specimen to exactly one type. A specimen assigned to two types has not been classified. See §6.2 of the examination regulations.

consistency

The property by which a specimen resists deformation. Assessed visually. Candidates who ask how else it might be assessed are referred to the practical component.

discrete specimen

A specimen that can be distinguished from adjacent material. Where this is not possible, the material is an event.

event

Material that cannot be resolved into discrete specimens and to which the seven-type scale therefore does not apply. Introduced in 1997. Applied once.

examiner

A holder of Level III certification appointed to conduct an examination. Examiners are appointed for a single session and are not named in correspondence.

fragmentation index

A count of separate pieces within a single specimen. Not assessed at Level I. Candidates are asked not to attempt it at Level I.

movement

The passage of a specimen from the body. Adopted in 2001 in place of four earlier terms, none of which the Working Group considered usable in written correspondence. The musical sense of the word is not recognised by this standard, notwithstanding the 2011 proceedings.

passage

The anatomical route taken by a movement. Not the movement itself. The distinction was introduced in 2004 and has been the subject of eleven errata.

presentationwithdrawn

Withdrawn 2019.See aspect.

reference illustration

Figures 1 to 7 of the standard. Not to scale. The Association has twice been asked what scale would be appropriate and has not answered.

Reference Set

Numbered study material issued to a single candidate. Non-transferable. Sets are not replaced. Sets recovered from persons other than the holder are destroyed.

release

The point at which a movement concludes. Determined by the examiner. Not open to appeal.

specimen

Material presented for classification.

specimen, unattended

A specimen no longer under the observation of the examining party. Classification of unattended specimens is not recognised for certification purposes (SC-7 opinion 2011/3). The opinion runs to nine pages.

surface characteristic

Any feature of the exterior of a specimen relevant to its type. Odour is not a surface characteristic. This was settled in 1999 and is not reopened.

Type 7

The first type to be defined, and the reason the remaining six exist. See the history of the Association.

Type 8

Not a type. Candidates reporting a Type 8 are referred to §6 of the examination regulations. Two proposals for an eighth type have been examined by the Working Group. Both were found to describe a Type 6.

water keywithdrawn

Withdrawn from the standard in 2019 following representations from the brass instrument manufacturing sector. The representations were not detailed and the Association did not request that they be.

wind

Outside the scope of this standard, of this Association, and of all correspondence entered into by either.

Proposals for new or amended terms are submitted to the Working Group on Terminology (WG-T) in writing. The Working Group meets once a year. It has not adopted a new term since 2004.