[lit-ideas] "Much brains", "many brains"

  • From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
  • To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2004 21:36:25 EDT

 
 
In a message dated 9/17/2004 9:08:56 PM Eastern Standard Time,  
atlas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
 
>> Since when, and why, is  'brain' used in  plural?
>Dunno.



Well, the OED says 'brains' started to be used in the plural (i.e.  'brains', 
not 'brain') after the sixteenth century. I wondered if this was  related to 
some scientific discovery (e.g. that the brain is composed of _two_  
hemispheres? -- the right and the left). 


>2. Does this apply too  to  another part of the body.
>In the plural?  I don't think  so.  
 
Well, there's 'breast', 'breasts', as per my other e-mail to the list.  
Apparently an Indo-European dual, applied literally to females and figurative  
'to 
lower animals'. In Latin, it was always singular: _pectum_, regardless of  
gender (neuter, in fact). 


>Could you please justify the use of the plural  of 'brain'  as a form of 
praise
>when normal people are supposed to have _one_   brain.

>I don't need to justify the English language.
 
Is that because you won't -- or you can't? I think 'brains' is actually  
_not_ a plural, but (as per my syntactic variations), a 'mass noun', as 
'sugar',  
or, indeed, 'blood' -- to stick to body.
 
Interestingly,  a page at
 
_http://www.expatvillage.com/started/becoming/standard_page_BL.cfm?ObjectId=98
&CFID=1988865&CFTOKEN=75276582_ 
(http://www.expatvillage.com/started/becoming/standard_page_BL.cfm?ObjectId=98&CFID=1988865&CFTOKEN=75276582)
 
 
which gives the English for different 'Argentine cut'(s) of meat
 
gives
 
sesos -- as 'brains' (of the cow), as they are eaten -- a derivation from  
Latin _sensu_.
 
Cheers,

JL
 
 
 
 
 
 
 




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