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The surprising geography of American left-handedness (2015)

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Re: The surprising geography of American left-handedness (2015)

#31

Post by ks2048 »

djexjms wrote: post #26
cperciva wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To the people downvoting labster's comment: He's making a joke about left-handedness being referred to as "sinister" due to the Latin origins (apparently this may originate from how Romans wore their togas). He's not saying that teachers are making children any less evil.

Wait a minute, that doesn't sound right.

In Wiktionary,

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sinister#Latin

it shows a few definitions of "sinister" in Latin that seem contradictory. "left", "perverse/bad", but "auspicious" for Romans, while "inauspicious" for Greeks. And a Proto-Indo-European source which is positive.

Re: The surprising geography of American left-handedness (2015)

#33

Post by Carstairs »

vaibhavkul wrote: post #20
bradley13 wrote: post #14

My parents "retrained" me to be right-handed. All primary-school things like writing, using scissors, etc. I do right-handed. For the rest? All I am is confused - some things I do right-handed, others left-handed. FWIW I was a very awkward and uncoordinated kid, which...may be related?

I too am mixed regarding doing things with different hands - for finer movements (writing, holding a spoon) I prefer using the left hand, while for stronger movements (punching, throwing a ball) I prefer using the right hand. Not sure why though, I never underwent any "retraining".

I'm a leftie and that the same for me. I've think it's because the world is designed for righthanded people so we get retrained even if don't realize it.

Re: The surprising geography of American left-handedness (2015)

#34

Post by Telemakhos »

ks2048 wrote: post #31
djexjms wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wait a minute, that doesn't sound right.

In Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sinister#Latin it shows a few definitions of "sinister" in Latin that seem contradictory. "left", "perverse/bad", but "auspicious" for Romans, while "inauspicious" for Greeks. And a Proto-Indo-European source which is positive.

The PIE source is positive, because it was applied as a euphemism in Latin to what would have been laevus (cf. Greek λαιός), from the PIE word for "left." The Greeks, too, preferred euphemism to the direct term for "left": the much more common term ἀριστερά ("left") is a constrastive/comparative derived from ἄριστος, "best," so it means the "bester side."

Re: The surprising geography of American left-handedness (2015)

#35

Post by card_zero »

Telemakhos wrote: post #34
ks2048 wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sinister#Latin it shows a few definitions of "sinister" in Latin that seem contradictory. "left", "perverse/bad", but "auspicious" for Romans, while "inauspicious" for Greeks. And a Proto-Indo-European source which is positive.

The PIE source is positive, because it was applied as a euphemism in Latin to what would have been laevus (cf. Greek λαιός), from the PIE word for "left." The Greeks, too, preferred euphemism to the direct term for "left": the much more common term ἀριστερά ("left") is a constrastive/comparative derived from ἄριστος, "best," so it means the "bester side."

Noa-names, a precaution against things like accidentally summoning a bear: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noa-name

Re: The surprising geography of American left-handedness (2015)

#37

Post by snarfy »

kazinator wrote: post #19

Why is it that right-handed people play stringed instruments such that the strings are actuated with the right hand (finger picking, flatpicking, strumming, bowing), and fingered with the left? Many left handed players reverse the arrangement. On the other hand (pun inteneded) left-handed pianos are almost unheard of.

> Many left handed players reverse the arrangement.

This is untrue and actually uncommon. Not every instrument is a guitar. Left handed cello players don't string their instrument upside-down. They play it right handed.

Re: The surprising geography of American left-handedness (2015)

#38

Post by mauvehaus »

bradley13 wrote: post #14

My parents "retrained" me to be right-handed. All primary-school things like writing, using scissors, etc. I do right-handed. For the rest? All I am is confused - some things I do right-handed, others left-handed. FWIW I was a very awkward and uncoordinated kid, which...may be related?

Which is your dominant eye? I'm right-handed (confirmed by the semester I broke my right wrist in college), but pretty strongly left-eye dominant. I do everything right-handed except shoot a gun (and presumably a bow, if I were to do so). I had no idea of this until the first time I picked up a rifle in my teens.

I could see (pun intended) feeling at loose ends trying to do eye driven tasks opposite handed, especially if you are naturally left-handed.

Re: The surprising geography of American left-handedness (2015)

#39

Post by ks2048 »

card_zero wrote: post #35
Telemakhos wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The PIE source is positive, because it was applied as a euphemism in Latin to what would have been laevus (cf. Greek λαιός), from the PIE word for "left." The Greeks, too, preferred euphemism to the direct term for "left": the much more common term ἀριστερά ("left") is a constrastive/comparative derived from ἄριστος, "best," so it means the "bester side."

Noa-names, a precaution against things like accidentally summoning a bear: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noa-name

Interesting. I knew Spanish izquierda (left) came from Basque, but I didn't realize it was to avoid a taboo word like sinister.
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