service = 'benefit afforded by animal activity'; synchronicity = 'conjunction; intertwining'

[Jonathan Lighter]

I suppose the exx. are theoretically identical, but today's plurality
of number, the collocation with "provide" and the construction "X services"
conveys a very different image, at least to me/

Also, the 1919 quote has a literary flavor that the young lady's remarks did
not. My impression was that she and her colleagues talk about "providing
services" all the time.


JL
On Sat, Sep 11, 2010 at 6:54 PM, Garson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Garson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: service = 'benefit afforded by animal activity';
>              synchronicity = 'conjunction; intertwining'
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Jonathan Lighter wrote
> > On _All Things Considered_ this evening an ecologist explained that wild
> > insects in the rain forest "provide many services, such as pollination."
> > Later she spoke again of various such "services," including "pollination
> > services."
>
> In 1919 insects were even paid to provide this service.
>
> Cite: 1919, The New Knowledge Library: Science, Invention, Discovery,
> Progress: Eight Great Books in One Volume, Page 561, Column 1, The S.
> A. Mullikin company, Chicago, Illinois.
>
> Plants in order to do well need to exchange their pollen with other
> plants of like species. Insects are the flowers' messenger boys in
> this service. Yes, all varieties of bees, ants, moths, butterflies and
> even humming birds are Nature's assistants in this work. To pay
> insects for this great service, plants developed flowers beautiful to
> the eye, showing to attract attention, secreted pleasing perfume, and
> especially drops of honey on which insects feed.
>
>
> http://books.google.com/books?id=JaAOAAAAYAAJ&q=%22pay+insects%22#v=snippet&
>
> Garson
>
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