- Jan 14, 2008
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Alright, then - should we be calling it "standard description" rather than an "SOP"? That makes sense; I guess folks all know what we mean when we use "SOP" as in "breeding to the SOP" but actually, we should be saying that we are "breeding to the standard" - yes?
Again,it's largely a semantic issue.
All hobbies & interests have their own "language". IMO people wishing to partticipate in those interests should learn the language. On BYC a language seperate & apart from that used elsewhere in the poultry world is being developed. I see terms here I've never seen or heard in the exhibition poultry world I've long been a part of. Lockdown, egg song & of course SOP are examples. I've never heard anyone in the exhibition world refer to a SOP when talking about a breed [or any of the other myriad abbrevations used here for that matter].
In the exhibition poultry world breeding toward the standard description is a given so it's never spoken of. I suppose "bred to the standard" or "breeding to the standard" would work but they're unnecessary. Other than here I've never heard anyone refer to SOP Rhode Island Reds [or SOP other breed]. Same is true of Heritage Rhode Island Reds but that's another discussion.
When I'm judging a show & I or one of the otherjudges comes on a breed or variety we don't see often & we want to confirm a leg colour or other point we generally say somethinglike "what does the Standard say?".
Does any of this really matter? Not really. Except that som people here seem to want to cross over into the exhibition world to some degree & their use of BYC speak won't help them to be taken seriously by anyone.