#19690
02/19/2001 11:55 PM
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1
stranger
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stranger
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1 |
I was wondering the other day why words that describe things that go over the lower legs tend to be talked about as a pair of things, even though they are only one cloth, while the things going over the upper body tend to be singular.
I can understand that pantihose should be a pair, because they started out life as a pair of stockings. But why should shorts, underpants, pants, trousers, coulottes, etc be talked about as a PAIR, while a braissere, a blouse, a shirt, a shawl, etc, are always singular?
Any thoughts?
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#19691
02/20/2001 12:07 AM
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 819
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 819 |
I was wondering the other day why words that describe things that go over the lower legs tend to be talked about as a pair of
things, even though they are only one cloth, while the things going over the upper body tend to be singular.
It goes beyond that, Nancy. Why, in English, is "hair" both singular and plural, whereas in some languages one uses a plural form when referring to more than one hair? Yet, when speaking of bilaterally symmetrical body parts above the waist, we always use a plural form, e.g. eyes, nostrils, and ears. 'Tis strange.
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#19692
02/20/2001 12:46 AM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
I have an idea that when trousers were first invented they may have been two separate pieces, because it would have been a long time before there were any professional tailors, and unskilled people would have found it very difficult to do the designing and sewing of the waist part.
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#19693
02/20/2001 3:22 AM
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 819
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 819 |
I have an idea that when trousers were first invented they may have been two separate piecesDid not the Ice Man, the ancient man found in the Alps have what we would call trousers? They aren't exactly new! I suspect that many technologies have been discovered and have disappeared many times since we humans have been around. My dictionary shows an origin from Scots/Gaelic, from Old French/Latin "Trebus," which, if my High School Latin serves me well, suggests a three-piece item. So, the left and right legs are joined to a center section to form a single garmet. Speculation on my part, but it seems reasonable to my little old worn out mind. 
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#19694
02/20/2001 4:19 AM
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,146
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,146 |
I have an idea that when trousers were first invented they may have been two separate pieces, because it would have been a long time before there were any professional tailors, and unskilled people would have found it very difficult to do the designing and sewing of the waist part.
wwh, I don't think you've hit the nail on the head. "First invented" would probably have been in China thousands of years ago.
- sans [saxons wore pyjamas] culottes
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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#19695
02/20/2001 9:51 AM
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 144
member
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member
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 144 |
ref: pair of trousers
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although, weirdly, if you're a clothing buyer for a shop etc, dealing with clothing manufacturers, then trousers are always referred to in the singular. As in: 'and this suit can be worn with either the trouser or the skirt'
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#19696
02/20/2001 1:43 PM
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 1,055 |
In reply to:
things that go over the lower legs tend to be talked about as a pair of things
It is not only true for items worn below the waist. A pair of scissors or glasses (i.e. spectacles) are also single objects.
I found it disconcerting to learn of eine Brille (glasses) and eine Schere (a pair of scissors) in German.
As it turns out, they're singular in many languages (bar French).
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