Trivial Pursuits

Fellow readers, we exist in a trivial world. And I don't mean sitting around answering random questions at your favorite pub trivia, I mean pointlessness. I mean mind numbing wastefulness of time and what limited brain matter you, as a respective reader, posseses. Let me pontificate on my point.

I defy you to produce the person that can thoroughly explain the differences between a gulf, a bay, an inlet, a sound and a strait. Maybeit doesn't seem so hard. But if you take a moment to think about it you will agree that the lines between these bodies of water are definately blurred. Slippery. Drenched in confusion. In fact, it is sort of like repeating the same word again and again until suddenly that word loses all meaning. Are you there yet? So what is the difference between these bodies of water? Are they not the same? Upon entering one, will you not be just as wet as opposed to entering another? Since I am sure you still have not found the person that can clarify the particular qualities of these wonders of H2O, I will splash upon you the findings of my research.

First and usually largest is the gulf. The gulf is defined as a part of an ocean or sea extending into the land. Note the specificity of ocean or sea. It is from this clarification that the larger size of a gulf is derived. In terms of size, we trickle down to our next body of water, the bay. A bay is defined as an inlet of the sea or other body of water usually smaller than a gulf. There are several interesting things happening in this definition. One, a bay is a smaller gulf, except for the fact that a bay can be both salt and fresh water. Also in this definition we find the word inlet, another of our bodies of water in question. So let us flow onward to the definition of an inlet. An inlet is defined as a bay or recess in the shore of a sea, lake, or river : a narrow passage between peninsulas or through a barrier island leading to a bay or lagoon. That is twice that bay has been used to define inlet, a word that was used to define bay. Annoying, that. What differences can we find to evaporate the confusion here? Perhaps the second half of the definition is useful. An inlet is a passage of water that leads to a bay. Ignore the first half of the definition or else you will confuse yourself as to how an inlet, a bay in itself, can lead to a bay, which is also an inlet. All that aside, an inlet is a passage of water. So, what is a sound? A sound is defined as a long broad inlet of the ocean generally parallel to the coast or a long passage of water connecting two larger bodies or separating maninland from a barrier island. If we trust this definition, a sound is like a sub-class of an inlet with the specific characteristic of being long and broad. That leaves only the strait. A strait is a comparatively narrow passageway connecting two larger bodies of water. Again the strait seems to be a sub-class of the inlet. And an inlet is a bay which is just a smaller gulf. Very slippery indeed. Really, if you think about it, a strait or sound connects an inlet, AKA a bay, to another inlet, also a bay. But since a strait or sound are really just an inlet, you have an inlet connecting an inlet to an inlet. Or perhaps you prefer a bay to a bay to a bay. And a bay that big is really just a gulf. Are we on the same wave here?

I know what you are thinking, this is very trivial. Exactly my point. A waste of time, much like this post. Thank you for taking the time to allow me to waste your time. You have given me a point, making the trivial not so trivial for me at least. Anyone else thirtsy?