Reminds me of the debate between the old Vermont farmer and the flatlander running for the GOP nomination for some office or other. At one point the old farmer asks the flatlander how many teats a cow has, to which he can't respond. I thought immediately of how one could respond humorously without any knowledge of the right number. "Ha! You can't fool me with a trick question like that! WHICH COW? And however many teats it may have, I'll bet the hind teat is still the one that gives the chocolate milk!"
When my kids were little we were driving somewhere in the country and passed a field of pigs. I remarked that I knew how to call pigs and my kids demanded I prove it on the spot. I pulled over, got out of the car and yelled "Sooo-eeee,PIG, PIG, PIG" and the whole herd came running with their ears flapping as they ran. The kids were hysterical with laughter, but I don't think they ever openly doubted my word again.
Something that puzzles me no end is that "sui" is Latin for pig. Why a medieval Anglo-Saxon farmer should have summoned his pigs in Latin I do not know. Perhaps to make fun of the clerics?
Asking Google the question, I found this, which rather surprised me:
"The OED tells me that it is particular to American dialectal English, that it has obscure origins, possibly coming from 'sow', and that it has print references to 1892."
There are common phonemes or morphemes in many languages that have different meanings. Linguists in the '60s and '70s tried to come up with a system that linked the common sounds to cultural and migration patterns. Eventually the linguists gave up. Chomsky was one of them and migrated into social criticism.
NYT: ‘Excess Deaths’ in 2020 Surpassed Those of 1918 Flu Pandemic [Click] Well, the US excess death rate of 2020 may exceed that of the Spanish Flu (1918-1920), and the total number of US Covid 19 deaths approaches that of the Spanish Flu, but the population of the US today is about three times that of 1918, and the underlying US death rate has declined by about 60% during the past century, so the headline is misleading. The graphs certainly are interesting, but require careful and analytical reading. [This is the place for me to again plug "How To Lie With Statistics."
Without modern medicine they surely could be. My grandmother's brother in law passed for a physician in those days, and he treated her with hydrotherapy. It was useless, but as good as any other treatment they had back then. Judging from the stories I heard it was probably subsequent pneumonia that killed her rather than the influenza directly, which was common.
Reminds me of the debate between the old Vermont farmer and the flatlander running for the GOP nomination for some office or other. At one point the old farmer asks the flatlander how many teats a cow has, to which he can't respond. I thought immediately of how one could respond humorously without any knowledge of the right number. "Ha! You can't fool me with a trick question like that! WHICH COW? And however many teats it may have, I'll bet the hind teat is still the one that gives the chocolate milk!"
ReplyDeleteWhen my kids were little we were driving somewhere in the country and passed a field of pigs. I remarked that I knew how to call pigs and my kids demanded I prove it on the spot. I pulled over, got out of the car and yelled "Sooo-eeee,PIG, PIG, PIG" and the whole herd came running with their ears flapping as they ran. The kids were hysterical with laughter, but I don't think they ever openly doubted my word again.
ReplyDeleteSomething that puzzles me no end is that "sui" is Latin for pig. Why a medieval Anglo-Saxon farmer should have summoned his pigs in Latin I do not know. Perhaps to make fun of the clerics?
DeleteAsking Google the question, I found this, which rather surprised me:
Delete"The OED tells me that it is particular to American dialectal English, that it has obscure origins, possibly coming from 'sow', and that it has print references to 1892."
There are common phonemes or morphemes in many languages that have different meanings. Linguists in the '60s and '70s tried to come up with a system that linked the common sounds to cultural and migration patterns. Eventually the linguists gave up. Chomsky was one of them and migrated into social criticism.
DeleteOh, I love this story, Susan! And it sounds like you made the pigs' day as much as they made yours.
DeleteNYT: ‘Excess Deaths’ in 2020 Surpassed Those of 1918 Flu Pandemic [Click] Well, the US excess death rate of 2020 may exceed that of the Spanish Flu (1918-1920), and the total number of US Covid 19 deaths approaches that of the Spanish Flu, but the population of the US today is about three times that of 1918, and the underlying US death rate has declined by about 60% during the past century, so the headline is misleading. The graphs certainly are interesting, but require careful and analytical reading. [This is the place for me to again plug "How To Lie With Statistics."
ReplyDeleteThank you for this, Alan. It gives me new awe for the 1918 agony. Imagine if our Covid death totals were thrice what they are?
DeleteWithout modern medicine they surely could be. My grandmother's brother in law passed for a physician in those days, and he treated her with hydrotherapy. It was useless, but as good as any other treatment they had back then. Judging from the stories I heard it was probably subsequent pneumonia that killed her rather than the influenza directly, which was common.
DeleteVT 4/23: 22,416-22,325 = 91
ReplyDeleteActive Cases:3111
Deaths:243(x3)
Recovered 19,062(85%)
Hospital:26(0) ICU:5(+2)
Tests:375,400(+1125)
Positivity Rate down to 1.2%
DeleteDeath Rate still holding at 1.1%