English Language - what "Does your head in" ??

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Paulatic
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Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??

Post by Paulatic »

We say I’ve a field of cattle or some cattle for sale at the cattle market. So no precise number is mentioned. The number is only mentioned prior to "head of "
If I had one bullock for sale at the cattle market I’d never say I’ve cattle for sale as there is only one.
I bet that clears it up :lol:
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thirdcrank
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Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??

Post by thirdcrank »

FWIW, I think the origin of cattle is the same as head ie once upon a time, twenty five cattle = twenty five head. That was presumably in the days when they didn't count much else. Sheep must be another story.
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Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??

Post by 661-Pete »

Jdsk wrote: 14 Sep 2021, 11:30am PS: As it's a linguistics thread... Bos taurus is a Latinate binomial but it isn't how cows were known in Latin.
OK! 'In Latin' can be short for 'according to modern scientific Latin terminology' - eh?
Jdsk wrote: 14 Sep 2021, 12:02pm Cow, coo, kye, kine, kyne all have the same root. As does bos!
as in:
William McGonagall wrote:On yonder hill there stands a coo.
If it's nae there, it's awa' noo.
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Paulatic
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Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??

Post by Paulatic »

Sheep…I was taught to count the feet and divide by four. :lol:
Strangely though whilst you can have a hundred head of sheep, it’s not unheard of, it is rare in practice. Mostly a hundred sheep or up here five score of sheep.

Back to cattle thinking about it the "head of" only seems to go in front of cattle. Once I’d identified those cattle as being heifers then I’d have a 100 heifers.
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Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??

Post by kylecycler »

Loosely related, a herd of zebra is apparently called a dazzle. I only know because five zebras escaped last week from a wildlife sanctuary in Maryland and they're still on the loose...

Image

https://brobible.com/culture/article/ma ... anquilize/

There will now be a discussion as to whether it should be a herd of zebra or zebras... :lol:
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Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??

Post by Jdsk »

kylecycler wrote: 14 Sep 2021, 12:55pm Loosely related, a herd of zebra is apparently called a dazzle.
I've never heard that. Is it after Dazzle camouflage? And is its origin in a joke, as in a flange of baboons?

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Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??

Post by kylecycler »

I've heard of dazzle painted ships, right enough - that one looks like a zebra but you'll know there were many variations. It's just that 'dazzle' was used in the reports about the escaped zebras, that's all I know.
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Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??

Post by Jdsk »

Thanks

Jonathan
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Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??

Post by Bmblbzzz »

Dazzle on the razzle!
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Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??

Post by Bmblbzzz »

In another thread there was discussion of -ee and -er endings being used in contradictory ways. viewtopic.php?f=1&t=147587&start=30
I've just thought of another one: retiree. Shouldn't it be retirer? I think the idea is that the person has been retired, the decision having been taken by their employer, and the linguistic form has outlived the employment form.
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661-Pete
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Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??

Post by 661-Pete »

You've probably heard of that absurd, but grammatically correct sentence:
Buffalo buffalo, Buffalo buffalo buffalo, buffalo Buffalo buffalo.
It only works if you accept that the word 'buffalo' can be both singular and plural. Weirder even than the 'had had had had' one!
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Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??

Post by Audax67 »

Interestingly (or not), cattle and capitalism have the same Latin root. As does chattel.
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Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??

Post by Jdsk »

Audax67 wrote: 14 Sep 2021, 3:02pm Interestingly (or not), cattle and capitalism have the same Latin root. As does chattel.
Definitely interesting.

And I suspect that's why it doesn't have a singular form in English, as upthread.

Jonathan
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Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??

Post by Cowsham »

auto-antonym words or Janus words like "sanction" words that can have two meanings one the opposite of the other.

Little wonder I was confused by English at school.

The one that may affect me from time to time is "clip"

Please clip that cable could mean tidying the cable up or cutting it. Could be a costly misunderstanding.
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kylecycler
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Re: English Language - what "Does your head in" ??

Post by kylecycler »

Cowsham wrote: 14 Sep 2021, 4:04pm auto-antonym words or Janus words like "sanction" words that can have two meanings one the opposite of the other.

Little wonder I was confused by English at school.

The one that may affect me from time to time is "clip"

Please clip that cable could mean tidying the cable up or cutting it. Could be a costly misunderstanding.
Like clipless pedals being called clipless when you clip in and out of them (I mean, I know why they're called clipless but it's still a bit wonky!). :)
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