indoeuropean/hand

[Rick Mc Callister]

It's an interesting metaphor
I was also interested in why the "masculine" form manus and not *mana?

>Rick asked> any ideas why manus is feminine?

>"Hand" is feminine (so I have heard) in a overwhelming number of languages
>that have grammatical gender, just as "foot" is masculine in a very large
>number.   There might be a deep psychological thing here, about receiving
>and giving, which betrays an even deeper psychological thing connecting
>grammatical gender with biological gender.

>Peter

Rick Mc Callister
W-1634
Mississippi University for Women
Columbus MS 39701