ADS-L Digest - 27 Jan 2009 to 28 Jan 2009 (#2009-29)

[Your Name]

In a message dated 1/29/2009 12:05:32 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
LISTSERV at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU writes:


Single-syllable nouns sound stranger, though real-world experience  plays a
role: "A fish-looking alien" sounds a little less strange (because  pop
culture has prepared us for fishy space-guys and -gals) than  "Some
fish-looking guy" or "Some fish-looking buffalo," which is harder  to
imagine.


Could it be the fact that "fishy" is a well-known word, rather than the  fact
that "fish" has only one syllable, that makes "fish-looking" sound  wrong?  I
wouldn't blink at "a cat-looking alien," but if I heard "a  fish-looking
alien," I'd think, "Don't you mean 'fishy-looking'?"

Rosemarie

Books had  instant replay long before TV sports!






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