Re: fingers

When my god-daughter was a pre-schooler her piano teacher taught her
a five-verse song to the tune of "Frere Jacques" about "(1)Thumbkin,
(2)Pointer, (3)Middleman, (4)Ringman, (5)Little One".  The teacher
was an American with a German name, Spetz; the student was a half-
Chinese American with an English name, Woodbury.
---
Tom H.C. in MI

--- In conlang@yahoogroups.com, Tim May <butsuri@M...> wrote:
> # 1 wrote at 2005-06-24 03:17:13 (-0400)
>  > David J. Peterson wrote:
>  >
>  > >Max wrote:
>  > ><<
>  > >I know that there aresuch names in French but not English.
>  > > >>
>  > >
>  > >Can't speak for anything but English, but English *does* have
>  > >specific names.  Using the right hand, and proceeding from
>  > >left-to- right, starting from the thumb, with the palm facing
>  > >away, you have:
>  > >
>  > >1.) thumb
>  > >2.) index/pointer
>  > >3.) middle
>  > >4.) ring
>  > >5.) pinky
>  > >
>  > >You can add the word "finger" after (2)-(5), but you don't need
>  > >to.
>  >
>  > Ho sorry, you really teach me something there because I had never
>  > heard these before
>  >
>  > Even my English-French dictionary gives "little finger" for the
>  > french word "auriculaire"
>
> I'd recognize "pinkie" as an Americanism* - the normal term in
British
> English is "little finger".  "Index finger", "middle finger"
and "ring
> finger" are equally valid on either side of the Atlantic, although
I'd
> be unlikely to omit "finger" from them.  Not sure I've encountered
> "pointer" for the index finger, though the sense would be obvious.
>
>
> * Although my dictionary doesn't.

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