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#50747 12/27/01 02:46 PM
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Carpal Tunnel
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Re: Gender-- as in ...many examples in many languages, a grammatical category often confused with sex in languages

which is understandable, since the root word for gender-- gen-- goes back to the idea of giving birth-- and leads to words like genitals... (and even with out that.. the first question asked-- or answered unbidden by anyone attending the birth is "Boy!" or "Girl!" )

and i don't understand why the idea that ..... sex and gender are often considered to be equivalent concepts. Some consider this to be excessive prudery comparable to calling poultry legs drumsticks or placing coverings over piano legs.

I understand excessive prudery-- and how it lead to "white" and "dark" meat, rather than "breast" or "leg"-- but how does the idea that "sex and gender are often considered to be equivalent concepts tie in with excessive prudery? if anything, it seems to do the opposite, and make the concept of gender more "sexual"-- not less..

it seems that gender in language is closer to the meaning of family-- gender defines "families" of words.. and gender could be used to define Animal, vegetable or mineral.. not just masculine and feminine.


#50748 12/27/01 02:54 PM
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Dear WW: I haven't been in an OR for many years, and so have not idea what suture materials are used today. I suspect however, that nylon and other new synthetic materials have largely replaced gut, except possibly for buried sutures that have to be slowly absorbed.
And I suppose that string music is no longer the tail of a horse being drawn across the entrails of a cat.
It may well be that children are no longer told that dragonflies are darning needles capable of sewing their mouths shut. Most of the dragonfly habitat is now shopping mall.


#50749 12/27/01 03:26 PM
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And I suppose that string music is no longer the tail of a horse being drawn across the entrails of a cat.

Then you clearly haven't been listening to what passes for pop music today, Bill! However, note that, unlike some years ago, the musicians appear to see no need to remove the horse's hair from the horse's tail or the tail from the horse or even to kill the cat first ...



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#50750 12/27/01 03:48 PM
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One of the consolations of my deafness is that I am not missing much, considering that ninety percent of the music available isn't worth listening to, and the remaining ten percent is hard to find.


#50751 12/27/01 04:08 PM
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ninety percent of the music available isn't worth listening too, and the remaining ten percent is hard to find.

Sounds like Sturgeon's Law: Ninety percent of everything is crap.


#50752 12/27/01 04:48 PM
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Yep. Ah ... does that include this forum, Faldage? ... Never!

And Bill, you said One of the consolations of my deafness is that I am not missing much, considering that ninety percent of the music available isn't worth listening to, and the remaining ten percent is hard to find.

Not arguing with you, but, um, how do you know? Just askin' ...



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#50753 12/27/01 05:15 PM
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Dear wwh:

The best musicians use Mongolian stallion hair in their bows. There's a world o' learnin' in the art of the bow. Some bows (most often viola) have what's called "salt and pepper" hair--which is the bleached-out white hair mixed with the black Mongolian stallion hair. My daughter's never used the salt and pepper, however, and I don't know personally any violist who does. Some bows (most likely the basses) have all black hair. I always used to ask for stallion hair for my violin bow, and still do for my daughter's viola hair. Then on and on about the types of rosin to use with the hair. There are books on that, too. You can even have your horsehair dyed these days just about any color of the rainbow, but I've only see that in music magazines and never, ever on stage.

But catgut is sheep gut for the strings some strings players use. Catgut (or gut strings--read "sheep") is purportedly harder to keep in tune, and all the synthetics try to approach the sound of gut--but with more carrying power--more projection. I use Tonicas--a synthetic--which sound sweet under the ear, thank heavens, because I'd hate to have anyone other myself listening to me.

Best regards,
DubDub


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One name for a stringed instrument is “kit” -- from the Latin name for a guitar, cithara. The gut strings of the instrument are therefore “kit guts.” A simple wrong deduction leads to “catgut.”

-- Dictionary of Word Origins, Jordan Almond




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I used to play a violin quite badly.My deafness has the peculiarity of making symphony orchestras sound out of tune.And I could not entirely escape the vile stuff a grandson played.FThe sick names of groups suggests the level of their output. A comparatively mild one I recently noticed was "Stale Urine." And I estimate that those degenerates write and play ninety percent of the music today.


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Dear Sparteye,

I think the crwth is a type of cithara, or vice versa. That was the very first question I ever posted here as a stranger. Memories are made of this. Thanks for the kitgut connection.

Best regards,
WW


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