plural people

James Smith jsmithjamessmith at YAHOO.COM
Thu Apr 13 14:15:24 UTC 2006


I hear such plural references as meaning a group or
class in reference to an eponymous archtype.



--- George Thompson <george.thompson at NYU.EDU> wrote:

> LH observes: > Don't we mean "players of the kind
> instantiated by Mantle and
> > DiMaggio" rather than referring to those specific
> players themselves?
>
> That is sometimes the sense, when "the Mantles" is
> used to indicate a
> generic Hall-of-Famer.  But it seems to me that I
> also hear it as just
> an odd way of refering to a specific individual.
> This is the sense I
> take from the words quoted from the Sing Sing
> keeper.
>
> My association of this with baseball broadcasts may
> arise from either
> the fact that it was a trick of speech used by one
> particular
> broadcaster only that I happen to have heard, or the
> fact that I do not
> watch television except for occasional baseball
> games nor listen to
> radio broadcasts except for baseball and music shows
> that feature little
> talk.
>
> I will also say that I posted this, having come upon
> it, in the thought
> that it exemplified a turn of speech that might be
> of interest to some,
> and cannot be searched for in the databases.
>
> GAT
>
> George A. Thompson
> Author of A Documentary History of "The African
> Theatre", Northwestern
> Univ. Pr., 1998, but nothing much lately.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Date: Wednesday, April 12, 2006 1:38 pm
> Subject: Re: plural people
>
> > At 12:59 PM -0400 4/12/06, George Thompson wrote:
> > >Well, when we say "the Smiths are coming", we
> mean two or more
> > people.>When a broadcaster refers to "the Mantles"
> or whoever, when
> > speaking of
> > >"playing on the same outfield grass as the
> Mantles and the
> > diMaggios",>he's only referring to one person, not
> to Mantle, his
> > wife and sons.
> > >
> > >GAT
> >
> > Don't we mean "players of the kind instantiated by
> Mantle and
> > DiMaggio" rather than referring to those specific
> players themselves?
> > I think the plurals really do presuppose there's
> an ilk, as when I
> > might assert my old fartness by bemoaning the
> absence of the
> > Clementes and Sniders and Mayses of the good old
> days.
> >
> > LH
> >
> > >
> > >George A. Thompson
> > >Author of A Documentary History of "The African
> Theatre",
> > Northwestern>Univ. Pr., 1998, but nothing much
> lately.
> > >
> > >----- Original Message -----
> > >From: FRITZ JUENGLING
> <juengling_fritz at SALKEIZ.K12.OR.US>
> > >Date: Wednesday, April 12, 2006 11:54 am
> > >Subject: Re: plural people
> > >
> > >>  George,
> > >>  out of curiosity, why does it strike you as
> being "pointless,
> > >>  inane, and stupid"?
> > >>  What about pluralizing names of people who are
> not ballplayers,
> > >>  e.g. "The Smiths are coming to dinner tonight"
> or that old phrase
> > >>  'Keep up with the Joneses"?
> > >>  fritz
> > >>
> > >>  >>> george.thompson at NYU.EDU 4/12/2006 8:16 AM
> >>>
> > >>  For msome years I have been struck (and
> annoyed) at the habit
> > of some
> > >>  sports broadcasters of pluralizing the last
> names of ball-players;
> > >>  referring to "the diMaggios, the Mantles, the
> Berras" and so
> > forth.>>  It has always struck me as pointless,
> inane and stupid.
> > But it turns
> > >>  out to have a long history, as in the
> following:
> > >>
> > >>
>
------------------------------------------------------------
> > >>  The American Dialect Society -
> http://www.americandialect.org
> > >>
> > >
> >
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
> > >The American Dialect Society -
> http://www.americandialect.org
> >
> >
>
------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society -
> http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
>
------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society -
> http://www.americandialect.org
>


James D. SMITH                 |If history teaches anything
South SLC, UT                  |it is that we will be sued
jsmithjamessmith at yahoo.com     |whether we act quickly and decisively
                               |or slowly and cautiously.

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



More information about the Ads-l mailing list