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Re: First report on Conm

From:John Cowan <cowan@...>
Date:Wednesday, March 26, 2003, 14:23
Christophe Grandsire scripsit:

> Lateralisation is a continuum. I know that I am left-handed, and > behave consistently this way, except that I handle cutlery like right-handed > people.
More accurately: there is the fully right-handed majority, and then there is a continuum of various degrees of left-handedness, from people who do most but not all things with their right hands, through full ambidexterity, to obligatory sinistrals. "All right-handed people are alike; all left-handed people are different." My left-handed wife basically uses her left hand for all purposes except handwriting; she can write with her right hand (in a somewhat different handwriting, less individuated), which is convenient when taking notes.
> the table with the fork on the left and the knife on the right, and I just > copied on them about the use of the tools.
Bizarrely, Americans still *place* the fork on the left side and the knife and spoon on the right, but we hold the fork in the right hand, *except* when also using the knife, in which case we switch the fork to the left hand, cut with the knife, put both down, and then pick up the fork in the right hand to eat. It is very gauche (or European) to eat with the fork in the left hand (pun intentional). Go figure. In any event, unless you are eating by yourself, it is awkward to eat in a way distinct from your neighbor at the table; you will be bumping elbows.
> There is a definite test of lateralisation, which happens to be available only > to males ;))))) . I think you can guess yourself what I mean ;))) . It is > usually correct in 95% of the cases :))) .
Umm, I don't see any reason why it shouldn't work for females too. -- John Cowan http://www.ccil.org/~cowan cowan@ccil.org To say that Bilbo's breath was taken away is no description at all. There are no words left to express his staggerment, since Men changed the language that they learned of elves in the days when all the world was wonderful. --_The Hobbit_

Replies

Christophe Grandsire <christophe.grandsire@...>
Joe Fatula <fatula3@...>
Andreas Johansson <andjo@...>