It is now advisable to clarify that there is dolphin(dauphin), but many dolphins(dauphins), and in rather big count: the consultation of the picture(table) of the families of Odontocètes allows to notice that several kinds(genres) are entitled to this naming. Except the family of Delphinidés, there are dolphins(dauphins) of fresh water ( platanistidés ), and also huge dolphins(dauphins) who are situated in a very different family, Ziphiidés, of which the biggest representing ( Berardius) can reach(affect) 12 m of length.

We could, very boorishly, as regards the vernacular names, to divide Odontocètes into three groups: sperm whales ( Physeteridae), porpoises ( Phocoenidae) and dolphins(dauphins) (Delphinidae, Ziphiidae, Stenidae, Platanistidae), by reserving a place except for in Monodontidae, because the béluga is indifferently called, by the authors, white porpoise or white dolphin(dauphin) (when it is not white "whale"), while the other kind(genre) of this family, the narwhal, gives to no confusion. In fact, the French vocabulary is particularly poor when it is a question of indicating(appointing) such or such sort of small cetaceans. The Englishman has a convenient word: whale, which(who) means by no means "whale" in the strict sense(direction), but applies, on one hand, to all Mysticètes, and, on the other hand, in a empirical way, to Odontocètes measuring more than 5 m of total length (F.C Fraser. As a consequence, for the authors of English language, all Odontocète of less than 5 m is dolphin(dauphin) (if it is provided with a rostrum) or a porpoise (if he(it) presents a round snout. It is however necessary to notice, what does not simplify things, what the Americans name(appoint) porpoise indisputable dolphin(dauphin) (tursiops), while the porpoise of the English is exactly our porpoise. Other confusion: dolphin applies, in English; to our dolphin(dauphin) and also to a poison, the gilt-head bream pélagique. These distinctions are not still included; so explain inconvenient names « as whale murderess » (killer whale) for the killer whale, or the killer whale, and « whale with beak » for Ziphiidae, which are, zoologiquement speaking, that of big dolphins(dauphins). The English vernacular names are sometimes picturesque; So, bottlenose, or « snout in the nose in the form of bottle » (it would be, in the case in point, about the evocation of a bottle of gin), qualification which applies moreover at the same moment to typical dolphin(dauphin) tursiops ) and in Ziphiidé: the hyperoodon. But in the first case we use(employ) dolphin, and on the second whale. The discrimination comes simply from the length: superior or subordinate in 5 m … This only example illustrates the difficulty which presents the exact interpretation of the vulgar names. In French, n use enough frequently the word "prompter", who obviously wants to say nothing about handbook: all the Cetaceans blow.

Inside even of the family of Delphinidés, certain forms received a name which is appropriate(clean) for them, for example the killer whale and the false killer whale. Other sorts keep(preserve), for want of anything better, their scientific, gallicized name or not: globicéphale, grampus, etc.