Rigatoni (1894)

[Dennis R. Preston]

Italian i-plurals (perhaps particularly those which (ooops! that)
refer to foodstuffs) are regularly pluralized in English. When they
can be taken as noncount (e.g., spaghetti), however, they are not,
although, most peculiarly, in Italian-heritage families, these
reanalyzed noncounts are often English pluralized - spaghettis,
macaronis, etc...., not referring to kinds but in such constructions
as "We're having spaghettis tonight." Am Italian-American once
explained this to me as a result of "Well, they're plural, you know."

dInIs

>"Chicken Rigatonies" in my last post, from 1994 usenet, can probably be
>expected. Rigatoni, though, is plural.
>...
>...
>...
>(OED)
>rigatoni, n. pl.
>[It., f. rigato pa. pple. of rigare to draw a line, to make  fluting.]
>Short hollow tubes of pasta in fluted  form; a dish of this pasta.
>
>1930 H. BURKE Cookery Bk.  100 'Rigattoni' is the Italian name for a special
>kind of  macaroni which comes in short thick  tubes.
>...
>...
>(PROQUEST HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS)
>...
>_TON  OF MACARONI A DAY.; 500 Miles of Italian Food Made in the Hub.
>Description of  the Manner in Which This Cereal Product is Made.
>Three Faotories Turn
>It Out and  the Real Article is Divided Into 13 Classes. _
>(http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=571225242&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=10&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD
>&RQT=309&VName=HNP&TS=1118753269&clientId=65882)
>Boston  Daily Globe (1872-1960). Boston, Mass.: Dec 16, 1894. p. 31 (1 page):
>To begin with, macaroni is divided into 13 classes. Each of these is the
>product of the same batch of flour and the same kneading, but vary in size,
>shape and general appearance. Among Italian gourmets they are known
>as Menzani,
>Forati, Frenetti, Trenetini, Foralini, spaghetti, spaghettin,
>rigatoni, seme di
>  melloni, rosa marina, stellini, tubetini and acine di fippi.
>...
>These are all contained in the generic term  "macaroni."


--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor of Linguistics
Department of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic, Asian, and African Languages
A-740 Wells Hall
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824
Phone: (517) 432-3099
Fax: (517) 432-2736
preston at msu.edu