LL-L: "Mythology" LOWLANDS-L, 07.OCT.2000 (04) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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  L O W L A N D S - L * 07.OCT.2000 (04) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: john feather [johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk]
Subject: Mythology

Re rings:

Jorge wrote:

>How do you count fingers? Physicians and piano players count
the thumb as number one. Do you? To an American or Canadian physician, and
I
believe an English one, "ring finger" is synonymous with "fourth finger."<>

Common BE usage is that the forefinger or index finger is the "first"
finger
so the ring finger is called "third".

Ron wrote:

>A person of Protestant background (predominantly in Northern Germany)
wears
his/her engagement ring on the ring finger of the left hand and switch it
to
the ring finger of the right hand when he/she gets married.  In Roman
Catholic tradition (predominantly in Southern Germany) it is the other way
around.<

So perhaps my comment about Christians and Jews was misplaced, if the
former
have different customs. A  Jewish  nurse whose mother was a refugee from
Germany in the 1930s told me that her mother was badly treated in hospital
here when she was born because she wore her ring on her right hand and the
staff thought she was unmarried.

I think "wedding ring" is the standard usage in Britain but in US films,
songs, etc, "wedding band" seems very common. Is it the standard expression

there? What is used in other English-speaking countries?

John Feather johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk

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