The earth v. Earth (UNCLASSIFIED)
Dennis R. Preston
preston at MSU.EDU
Wed Aug 8 18:08:20 UTC 2007
Michael,
I think this is counting noncounts, as in "two rices" (i.e., two
different styles of rice), but maybe not. You seem to like it for two
cases of the same kind. I think "I had two scarlet fevers when I was
a kid" (for two bouts, cases, etc...) is jest horrible.
One week to go. I see you avoid "Lesbians," but they do not.
Dennis
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>Subject: Re: The earth v. Earth (UNCLASSIFIED)
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>Hey Dennis
>
>The possibility that comes most immediately to mind is
>"fever," which in the mountains/country usually
>means/meant specifically "typhoid." I don't have a
>citation to offer, but I think it quite possible to
>have sentences like "he nearly died of two fevers when
>he was a child," with the meaning of "two
>bouts/epidemics of typhoid."
>
>If you're dead keen to explore this further, I'll
>contact some local authorities. When are you off for
>your summer consort withthe Lesbosians?
>
>Michael
>
>--- "Dennis R. Preston" <preston at MSU.EDU> wrote:
>
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>> Poster: "Dennis R. Preston" <preston at MSU.EDU>
>> Subject: Re: The earth v. Earth (UNCLASSIFIED)
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>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Thanks Michael; my own favorite is "the epizootic,"
>> although DARE
>> shows it is not at all limited to the South
>> Midlands.
>>
>> There are some very interesting low-level
>> constraints going on here.
>> Note how bad (I think) "I had two colds last year"
>> is compared to "I
>> had two really very bad colds last year." But that
>> "distance" metric
>> applies to lots of agreement features.
>>
>> Is any illness/disease name an ordinary count noun?
>>
>> My daughter caught three _____ last year.
>>
>> I nearly died from two _____ last year.
>>
>> dInIs
>>
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>> >Subject: Re: The earth v. Earth (UNCLASSIFIED)
>>
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> >
>> >In the South Midland names of diseases and
>> illnesses
>> >are often preceded by the definite article. "The
>> >cancer" is certainly known, but I think "the sugar"
>> =
>> >"diabetes" would be far more common. My favorites
>> are
>> >"the hippoes" and "the mulligrubs." I've also
>> heard
>> >"the typhoid," etc. "The measles" is ubiquitous,
>> but
>> >I suspect this may have a much broader regional
>> >distribution. We eagerly await DARE V for a
>> >splendiferous display of definite article usage.
>> >
>> >"The" with diseases is definitely a Scotch-Irish
>> >inheritance. Check out _the_ def. art. sense 4 in
>> the
>> >Scottish National Dictionary. This can be found
>> >on-line at the wonderful Dictionary of the Scots
>> >Language website, which incorporates both the SND
>> and
>> >the Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue. This
>> >philological resource that approaches the magnitude
>> of
>> >the OED is available free at www.dsl.ac.uk. I
>> don't
>> >think that it has gotten enough publicity on this
>> side
>> >of the water, though, so I'm blowing the bugle to
>> >consult it, if ADSers will pardon me.
>> >
>> >Michael
>> >
>> >
>> >--- Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU> wrote:
>> >
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>> >> Poster: Laurence Horn
>> <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>> >> Subject: Re: The earth v. Earth
>> (UNCLASSIFIED)
> > >>
>>
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> >>
>> >> At 10:28 AM -0500 8/8/07, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC
>> >> wrote:
>> >> >Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
>> >> >Caveats: NONE
>> >> >
>> >> >I've heard folks in the rural South referring
>> to
>> >> having "the cancer"
>> >> >instead of what seems to me to be standard
>> usage
>> >> "cancer".
>> >>
>> >> In the urban North it may not be "the cancer"
>> but
>> >> it's often "the big C".
>> >>
>> >> LH
>> >>
>> >> >
>> >> >> -----Original Message-----
>> >> >> From: American Dialect Society
>> >> >> [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of
>> >> Doug Harris
>> >> >> Sent: Wednesday, August 08, 2007 9:08 AM
>> >> >> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> >> >> Subject: Re: The earth v. Earth
>> >> >>
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>> >> >> Poster: Doug Harris
>> >> <cats22 at FRONTIERNET.NET>
>> >> >> Subject: Re: The earth v. Earth
>> >> >>
>> >>
>>
>>--------------------------------------------------------------
>> >> >> -----------------
>> >> >>
>> >> >> On a _much_ smaller scale (but similarly
>> >> curious,
>> >> >> language-wise), is the British practice of
>> >> referring to
>> >> >> certain countries with the 'the' article
>> >> preceding their
>> >> >> name. To wit, The Gambia, The Lebanon.
>> >> >> I believe I know the historic logic for
>> this,
>> >> but there was a
>> >> >> similar logic for their use of the
>> 'aeroplane /
>> >> aeroport'
>> >> >> spellings, which The Sunday Telegraph (and
>> >> others) persisted
>> >> >> in using until at least the 1980's. Wisely,
>> >> though, albeit
>> >> >> with much kicking and screaming, I imagine,
>> the
>> >> latter paper
>> >> >> seems to have come 'round to using 'airport'
>> >> _except_ when
>> >> >> referring to the French versions of places
>> where
>> > > aero...
>> >> >> whoops, airplanes land.
>> >> >> (the other) doug
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >> I'm pretty sure - though I wouldn't bet
>> money on
>> >> it - that,
>> >> >> back in the '40's and '50's - the earth was
>> >> referred to as
>> >> >> "_the_ earth." More recently, it seems to
>> me,
>> >> "the earth" has
>> >> >> been replaced by "Earth."
>> >> >> Here's an instance that's neither "the
>> earth"
>> >> nor "Earth." It
>> >> >> could be a simple typo, however.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> -Wilson
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >>
>>
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--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor
Department of English
15C Morrill Hall
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824
517-353-4736
preston at msu.edu
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