short takes

[cellio]

Happy 05/05/05. (First pointed out to me by lensedqso.)

Harkening back to a recent entry: how lightsabers work (link from ralphmelton and mabfan).

Ridiculous food challenges just got even weirder: 15-pound burger challenge -- if you and a friend can eat it in three hours it's free; otherwise it's $30. Ugh. On the other hand, if you go into it blowing off the challenge from the start (and get the wet condiments on the side), it's not a bad price for a week's worth of meatloaf for the right person. (I got the link from nsingman.)

Emails 'pose threat to IQ' (link from brokengoose). Well, at least a threat to the ability to write correct English. "Email" is not a counting noun! C'mon, journalists should know better! (I know -- many of them don't. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to criticize.) Easy way to tell that the phrase "an email" is wrong: substitute by analogy. Do you send "a mail" (physical) to your pen-pal? Email is the mass noun, like mail; it is not the instance, like a letter.

I was reading something recently and saw a reference to Rabbi Micha Berger. Rabbi? When did that happen? I feel bad that I failed to notice somehow. (While we don't talk often, we're occasional correspondents and I have been a guest in his home. He wasn't a rabbi then.)

Comments

[hopeness.livejournal.com]

Hmm, then what do you say instead of "an email"?

[cahwyguy.livejournal.com]

Micha (who is the primary person I rely upon for Orthodox answers for the FAQ, by the way) rarely refers to himself that way, but I do think he has the title in his community (Aish). One of these days I would love to meet him and personally thank him for all his help to me.

A real good guy.

[anastasiav.livejournal.com]

I think I have to disagree with you.

"A Letter" is the noun, and "To Mail" is the action associated with that noun.

"An Email" is the noun, and "To Send" is the action associated with that noun.

So "I mailed the letter" and "I sent the email" are both correct.

Merriam-Webster backs me up (http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?va=e-mail) on email being a noun (although they insist on spelling it as e-mail).

[jducoeur]

Email is the mass noun, like mail; it is not the instance, like a letter.

Sorry, but the descriptivist in me just doesn't buy it. In practice, "email" has been used as a singular, countable noun for a fair number of years now, and has largely entered the common lexicon in that form. Nowadays, people routinely say, "I sent you an email about that".

Yes, it's also used as a verb, and as a mass noun. Doesn't change the fact that it is *also* used as a singular noun. As always, seeking consistency in English is simply a path to heartbreak...