sky vs. skies (long post)

[Lamont Antieau]

It might be useful, too, to look at other words that act similarly.  For
instance, English speakers also make the distinction between water and
waters.  You might hear someone at a beach say "don't go in the water yet"
but never "don't go in the waters yet".  But then you will hear about the
shark-infested waters off the coast of Florida or Texas, or of a submarine
getting lost in enemy waters.  If nothing else, size seems to play a part in
the distinction, and perhaps proximity as well.

Lamont Antieau

----- Original Message -----
From: David Bergdahl <einstein at FROGNET.NET>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, April 10, 2002 7:04 PM
Subject: Re: sky vs. skies (long post)


> I think as far as weather goes, "skies" recognizes that everyone has his
own
> patch of sky and the sky may be cloudy for you but clear for me, whereas
> when "patrol the sky" considers the [non-count rather than singular] sky
as
> a unity and the patrol goes everywhere.  So in "Fly the friendly skies"
one
> understands that United is flying all over the globe, and hence in
different
> skies, while in "The sky over Dallas is hazy" the perspective is limited
to
> one patch.
> _________________________________
> "Raffiniert ist der Herr Gott, aber Boshaft ist er nicht"
> --Albert Einstein