If Sahara translates to desert, how would those who so translate that refer to the deserts in the arctic and antarctic so as to differentiate them from each other.
The Sahara is the 3rd largest Sahara in the world?
The problem with extending a term is that it loses its comprehension and becomes less precise.
And that's the important part. "Sahara" is never used to mean "desert" in English; it's a proper name. What it means in the source language is essentially irrelevant. That's why I see nothing wrong "Sahara desert".
There are other example like this. "Hoi polloi" means "the many" in Greek, so to say "the hoi polloi" is theoretically redundant. But we don't see it as redundant because "hoi polloi" has become a noun outright in English (evidenced by the fact that it can be used with an article). The fact that one of its constituents is an article in another language doesn't affect its English syntax.
This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at December 4, 2017 12:02 PM MST
I am not sure it is redundant. It is probably true that the word "Sahara" means desert in Arabic, but it is also a given name. There are many deserts all over the world, 'Sahara desert' refer to only the one desert that have that name.
It's like Nevan said. It's been adopted as the name of a desert in the English language. This is a common thing in language.
All desert's are often referred to as just "The". The word sahara only means desert in Arabic. It has been borrowed into the English language as Sahara to mean something else.
"Sahara" has become a proper name in English, so I don't mind so much when people say "Sahara desert", but I think it's good knowledge to recognize that "sahara" means "desert" in Arabic (specifically it is the plural of "sahra").
It's not quite as bad as when people say things like "PIN number", though...
The root of thst 'offshot' is "not quite as bad as when people say things like "PIN number"" as another example of redundancy I fail to see the bad in that
This post was edited by JakobA the unAmerican. at December 5, 2017 7:12 PM MST
One reason: Saraha is a Buddhist Temple and educational facility dedicated to the study and practice of the Dudjom Lineage of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism.
So, if we are to meet in the Sahara, where exactly do you want to meet and what do you want to do there?
Let's keep precision of though at the forefront of our thinking. The Sahara (Arabic: الصحراء الكبرى, aṣ-ṣaḥrāʾ al-kubrā , 'the Greatest Desert') is the largest hot desert and the third largest desert in the world after Antarctica and the Arctic.
The Sahara is divided into western Sahara, the central Hoggar (Ahaggar) Mountains, the Tibesti Mountains, the Air Mountains, an area of desert mountains and high plateaus, Ténéré desert and the Libyan desert, which is the most arid region. In the north, the Sahara reaches to the Mediterranean Sea in Egypt and portions of Libya. In Cyrenaica and the Maghreb, the Sahara experiences a more Mediterranean climate with a winter rainy season.
What are you TALKING about. I am not talking about anything besides the PRECISE POINT that Sahara means Desert. How in the world does this have to do with directions IN the desert?
This post was edited by WM BARR . =ABSOLUTE TRASH at December 4, 2017 11:56 AM MST
The PRECISE POINT is that "Sahara" does not refer exclusively to a desert. A good definition requires both the genus and the specific difference---and that is an example of "precision of thought."
I was really tearing through here yesterday and I confess, I did not take enough time on questions that needed them. I am sorry. I am having some issues in my life that are causing me stress and it shows on here immediately.
My answer for today is: Is that so? Then, thank you kindly.
It's not just the Sahara that is turned into tautology in place or feature names. There are three "River Avons" in England - Avon was the native word for river; and = Afon (pron. "avon" with hard vowels) in Welsh.
The original, bland name comes from the ages when few people travelled far, and had no need to give their region's geographical features poetic individual names; so if you translate many names you end up with very bland descriptions. They only sound exotic or gather bilingual repeats when we don't know the original language.
I read a geological description of one major American river's valley that implied but didn't actually state, that its romantic-sounding name just means "Big Muddy River" - so tacking on "River" is another tautology!
Norway is full of mountains - including many Blue / White / Snow - Fells (Blafjell, Kvittfjell, Snafjell - I can't type the proper accented 'a' here.)
I fail to see the bad in that 
This post was edited by JakobA the unAmerican. at December 5, 2017 7:12 PM MST
Element 99 