In Italian a number of words associated with the body have irregular plurals. I am not quite sure why and it probably merits a bit of investigation.
Language learners are often thrown when one word is used for two distinct items. In this case, fingers and toes (il dito). However, remember that language is not words in isolation, they are used against a backdrop and this backdrop is known as context. If you are talking to someone or reading something you will know immediately whether dito is referring to a finger or toe.
And Italian is very logical when you think about it. Your fingers, which are your basic tool for counting, are very much bound up with the number 10 dieci (ten). And ten applies to both fingers and toes. Look at all the English "ten" words that can be connected to this: digit, decimal, decibel, decathlon, decade and so on.
1 comment:
Hmm, bit late to the party I know, but I'm not sure about all this! Do Greek deca and Latin decem have an etymological connection with fingers? What's the connection between digit and the word ten? There is a connection with diction, since you can use your fingers to "tell" things.
I'm afraid a warning light goes on in my head when people start saying one language is more "logical" than another. Should the word for thumb be connected with two, or head mean one, and what number would be appropriate for hair? A credible etymology links the word "finger" with "five". So is it more logical to think of the number of fingers on one hand, or two?
Anyway, enough quibbling. Buon anno 2011!
H./
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