The earth v. Earth (UNCLASSIFIED)
Dennis R. Preston
preston at MSU.EDU
Wed Aug 8 21:16:53 UTC 2007
Michael,
Crappie, muskie, and flounder have two syllables in the singular;
bass, perch, pike etc... have only one. That's what I meant. Addition
of an 's' sometimes creates a new syllable (basses) sometimes not
(pikes), but its the multisyllabicity of the base I was after.
dInIs
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>Sender: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster: Montgomery Michael <ullans at YAHOO.COM>
>Subject: Re: The earth v. Earth (UNCLASSIFIED)
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Hey Dennis
>
>Don't perches and basses have as many syllables as
>crappies, muskies, and flounders?
>
>Or are you going to remind me that you are an exile in
>a land of bad arithmetic, where somehow a conference
>having eleven schools is called the Big Ten?
>
>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)
>>
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Yeah, I like the variation in "game animal" plurals
>> too.
>>
>> I shot two
>>
>> bear/s
>> deer/s
>> partridge/s
>> quail/s
>> elk/s
>> etc...
>>
>> versus
>>
>> I saw two
>> bear/s
>> etc....
>>
>> The 's' plurals are all better for me when I see
>> them rather than shoot them.
>>
>> BUT, for me, almost all fish plurals are bad,
>> catching or seeing:
>>
>> I caught/saw two
>> perches
>> basses
>> pikes
>> etc...
>> UGH!
>>
>>
>> BUT the more syllables the better:
>>
>> I caught/saw two
>> crappies
>> muskies
>> flounders
>> etc...
>> (not too bad)
>>
>> dInIs, who, just like all you minimalists out there,
>> is becoming more
>> and more convinced that there's a load of
>> information in the lexicon
>>
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>> >Poster: "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
>> >Subject: Re: The earth v. Earth (UNCLASSIFIED)
>>
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> >
>> >And then there's "I caught two fish / fishes."
>> >
>> >Joel
>> >
>> >At 8/8/2007 02:08 PM, you wrote:
>> >>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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>> >>>Sender: American Dialect Society
>> <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> >>>Poster: Montgomery Michael
>> <ullans at YAHOO.COM>
>> >>>Subject: Re: The earth v. Earth
>> (UNCLASSIFIED)
>>
>>>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> >>>
>> >>>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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>> mail
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>> >>>> Sender: American Dialect Society
> > >>>> <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> >>>> Poster: "Dennis R. Preston"
>> <preston at MSU.EDU>
>> >>>> Subject: Re: The earth v. Earth
>> (UNCLASSIFIED)
>>
>>>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> >>>>
>> >>>> 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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>> >>>> >Sender: American Dialect Society
>> >>>> <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> >>>> >Poster: Montgomery Michael
>> <ullans at YAHOO.COM>
>> >>>> >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
>=== message truncated ===
>
>
>
>
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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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