I have a question concerning "The part of an animal which connects the head and the trunk, and which, in man and many other animals, is more slender than the trunk." This is the definition given for the word neck. But in my view (and given the fact that it has the same root as german "Nacken"), it implies a view from the back (dorsal) onto the neck. "Throat" on the other hand, implies the inside rather then the outside view. So what is the correct word for that part of the outside anatomy where the Adam's Apple is situated?
>So what is the correct word for that part of the outside anatomy where the Adam's Apple is situated? <
Firstly, I've never thought of 'throat' as implying a internal view.
Secondly, I personally think 'throat' suggests a front view more strongly than 'neck' suggests a back view.
Thirdly, if anyone does know a word 'for that part of the outside anatomy where the Adam's Apple is situated', please also supply the equivalent word for the 52% of the population that doesn't have an Adam's apple!?!
This is interesting in that I know exactly which area of the body you mean, but would never in a million years (and what a dumb phrase that is, by the way!) have identified it as you did.
Meanwhile, what image does 'pearls at her throat' conjure up in your mind???
Wow, talk about different points of view! To me, the word
neck means the entire structure. Not only that, it usually carries the connotation of meaning the view from the front or the side. Most of the time, I specifically say "the back of the neck", to make the distinction that that is the
specific part I'm referring to!
On the other hand, the word throat in certain contexts does mean the front of the neck, as in, "to encourage your pet to swallow a pill, gently massage its throat in a downward motion".
my my my, I think you people are looking into this a little too deeply. The neck is the neck. It's a pedestal for your head. The back part of the neck is occupied by the spinal cord and the throat is generally considered the front part, where the trachea, esophagus, and voice box are located. And, by the way, Bridget, the Adam's Apple is simply the voice box. Everyone has one, it's just higher up in females, so you can't see it.
The neck is the structure that supports your head — think the neck of a bottle. The throat is the front and the nape is the back. I can't think of a word for the sideview but maybe it has something to do with the carotid artery???
PS This spellchecker really ranks.
>And, by the way, Bridget, the Adam's Apple is simply the voice box. Everyone has one, it's just higher up in females, so you can't see it.<
I sit corrected!
Dear all,
Thank you for the considerable resonance to this seemingly trivial question. I still doubt whether "neck" suggests a front view. How would you, then, picture somebody "breathing down your neck"?..
"Pearls at her throat" sounds quite nice. So I no longer hesitate to write: I have wrinkles and bristly hairs on my throat...
"Pearls at her throat" sounds quite nice
sounds to me like someone is trying to strangle her.
>>sounds to me like someone is trying to strangle her.
who?
Pearl?
No, Pearl is trying to strangle her -- but I think we should be told who.
Pearl, as some of us know, is a singer.
Bingley
>And, by the way, Bridget, the Adam's Apple is simply the voice box. Everyone has one, it's just higher up in females, so you can't see it.<
Is this why women tend to have higher voices than men ?
> No, Pearl is trying to strangle her -- but I think we should be told who.
This just goes to show how useful is the apostrophe, and one of my "pet peeves" is the rapid decline in its use. If Pearl were the garrotter, it should read, "Pearl's at her throat." the apostrophe, in this case, standing for the missing "i" in "is": without the apostrophe, "Pearls" is clearly plural, as you would expect. One pearl at her throat would look silly. Or mean.
Is this why women tend to have higher voices than men?
I'm not quite sure, but I believe it has something to do with it. It would make sense, seeing as with a musical instrument, the further the air travels, the lower the note produced is. I suspect this is the same for the voice box.
who?
Pearl?
No, the her is undefined. I came to assume that "Pearls" meant the pearls of such a necklace, and therefore someone was strangling "her" with a pearl necklace.
And Bingley, Pearl: a singer? Do you mean Jewel? :)
>Is this why women tend to have higher voices than men?
>I'm not quite sure, but I believe it has something to do with it. It would make sense, seeing as with a musical instrument, the further the air travels, the lower the note produced is. I suspect this is the same for the voice box.
Not in this case, Jazz. A woman's voicebox is smaller, so the vocal cords are shorter. The shorter the vibrating sound producer, the higher the pitch produced. Try this on a violin or a guitar. Stop the string closer to the bridge and vibrate it. It will have a higher pitch.
In reply to:
If Pearl were the garrotter, it should read, "Pearl's at her throat."
True, but the original comment was "sounds as if" and the sound is the same with or without the apostrophe.
Bingley
> True, but the original comment was "sounds as if" and the sound is the same with or without the apostrophe
Put that way, I can only agree with you.
It makes Victor Borge's suggestion that punctuation marks should have sounds in speech very attractive.
A woman's voicebox is smaller, so the vocal cords are shorter. The shorter the vibrating sound producer, the higher the pitch produced. Try this on a violin or a guitar. Stop the string closer to the bridge and vibrate it. It will have a higher pitch.
I knew it was something like that.
>If Pearl were the garrotter<
She's not a garrotter (which sounds to me like a coining rather than a word, although I haven't checked). She's a vampire.
According to my wisdom gathered in adventure books, vampires don't suck at the throat, but rather at extremities (toes, etc). They would not have a fitness advantage if their victim died...
>She's not a garrotter (which sounds to me like a coining rather than a word...
for the record, this would be one who uses a garrotte (a thin strand of wire) to strangle, usually for the purpose of robbery.
Bridget, I think I found out why you thought garrotter was a coined word: there's only one t.
Seems like there ought to be a feminine form: garrotrix.
But I don't think there is.
>there's only one t
both spellings are extant in English.
Garotting is done from behind, so if Pearl's at her throat, Pearl can't be a garotter/garoter/garotrix. Strangulation from in front using the hands, or biting and worrying, again from in front, would seem to be what's called for here.
Bingley
>According to my wisdom gathered in adventure books, vampires don't suck at the throat, but rather at extremities (toes, etc).<
wsieber, my knowledge of vampire culture is more screen than page-based, but I'm sure they go for the jugular! Think Dracula in any incarnation, or most of Buffy's charming friends. Or am I just showing my knowledge of trash culture?
But you remind me of something my parents told me when I was small - that children who tried to stay awake to catch Santa Claus would be attacked by a creature that sucked all the blood out of their toes, leaving them an empty envelope of skin beneath the bedclothes. (This one haunted me for years - I am now puzzled by it, because it is so atypically bloodthirsty for my parents....)
Speaking of Santa Claus, I remember hearing of a bizarre store-front Christmas display in a Japanese store, featuring Santa Claus nailed to a cross.
Any of our Japanese correspondents able to throw any light on this?
Dear all,
This thread, which i started in all innocence, has turned rather bloodthirsty of late, don't you think? How thin is our veneer of peaceful civilisation...
>>I remember hearing of a bizarre store-front Christmas display in a Japanese store, featuring Santa Claus nailed to a cross.
well, since christmas is a non religious time in japan father christmas finds himself in many strange situations, on top of christmas trees, nailed to crosses (just want to check it wasn't a live one?), but rarely bringing presents or lounging around in shopping centres.
christmas is a time for couples to have dates in japan. it's not a holiday. new year is the religious time you spend with your parents and paying respects at graves.
i guess your shop front was a bit like western people misunderstanding the religious symbols and ceremonies of this country.
>I remember hearing of a bizarre store-front Christmas display in a Japanese store, featuring Santa Claus nailed to a cross<
I heard this story years ago when in Japan, but never saw it myself. It may be an urban myth.
< urban myth>
ah yes, Bridget, life would indeed be dull without urban myths -- I wonder if there's such a thing a suburban myth?