ASK MISTER LANGUAGE PERSON
Dear Mr. Barry,
I need help from Mr. Language Person. I am a grammar stickler and sports fan. Can you explain references to "The Toronto Maple Leafs"? I would like to know why the team members are not called "Leaves." Thank you.
Your fan,
Christine
Dear Christine --
The answer is actually quite fascinating. As you are no doubt aware if you have visited Wikipedia and used the cut-and-paste function, Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or (together with the Hippocastanaceae) included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification, favour inclusion in Sapindaceae. Also, the hockey community does not contain a lot of rocket scientists in the grammar department. I hope this clears everything up.
Mr. Language Person
Damn you, Mr. Language Person!
*gouges eyes out*
Posted by: Siouxie | January 07, 2009 at 11:18 AM
Unnecessary use of Barry Manilow. 10 yard penalty!
Posted by: Cheryl Howard | January 07, 2009 at 11:21 AM
What the puck?
Posted by: Rocket Scientist | January 07, 2009 at 11:21 AM
You've redeemed yourself with the Jack Bauer photo.
*super glues eyes back*
Posted by: Siouxie | January 07, 2009 at 11:22 AM
Toronto has a hockey team? who gnu?
(says the guy who lives in the Toronto area and was there the last time that they won the Stanley Cup in 1967)
Posted by: ArcticAl | January 07, 2009 at 11:23 AM
I thought the "APG" was one of the companies our brilliant leaders bailed out.
Posted by: Jazzzz | January 07, 2009 at 11:24 AM
Preview, preview, preview. Let this be a lesson.
*Waves @ Siouxie!!!*
Posted by: Hammond Rye | January 07, 2009 at 11:25 AM
He eats chutes, he scores!
Posted by: Meanie the Blue | January 07, 2009 at 11:26 AM
*WAVES @ Hammie!!!*
Yes, indeed.
Posted by: Siouxie | January 07, 2009 at 11:31 AM
*raises eyebrows quizzically*
"rocket scientists in the grammar department..."?
*continues looking confused but acquiesces to the expertise of Mr. Language Person™.*
Posted by: Bãrön vønKlýff | January 07, 2009 at 11:32 AM
Another hockey puzzler. Many years ago, a Maine Senator named Ed Muskie (also the name of a fish) reportedly laughed at a reference made by a campaign aide to the word Canuck. This was supposed to be bad because Canuck was a pejorative term for Americans of French-Canadian descent. Well, things got blown all out of proportion, and Muskie did poorly in the New Hampshire primary as a result.
Then Vancouver decided to call its hockey team the Canucks.
I would point out that the city of Vancouver also never has won the New Hampshire primary, and no, the fish's name is not Ed -- that was the horse -- but Muskie.
Is that perfectly clear?
Posted by: PM | January 07, 2009 at 11:34 AM
Bravo Meanie.
Posted by: Rinkrat | January 07, 2009 at 11:36 AM
one night a year all trees can talk
and move , and dance , and sing
they all meet at a restaurant
and share what news they bring
some there are the evergreens
their foliage on display
while others flaunt their nakedness
some straight, and others gay
but just like people, they all have flaws
they have their own pet peeves
they hate it that ere the check comes
the toronto maple leaves!
Posted by: insomniac | January 07, 2009 at 11:37 AM
It's been a long time since we've heard from Mister Language Person! Welcome back!
Posted by: Doug | January 07, 2009 at 11:42 AM
...favour...?
Posted by: CJrun | January 07, 2009 at 11:44 AM
Dave said "angiosperm."
Posted by: Cheesewiz | January 07, 2009 at 11:44 AM
*SNORK* @
ogden nashinsom!!!*is SOOOOO grateful for rollover features. no need for brain bleach today!*
Posted by: Diva | January 07, 2009 at 11:46 AM
Outstanding, Insom!
Posted by: Meanie the Blue | January 07, 2009 at 11:48 AM
Leafs was considered to be a tougher sounding name than Leaves. Sad, embarrassing, but true. Go Leafs go! And take the Raptors with you!
Posted by: PeterPuck | January 07, 2009 at 11:48 AM
PP....should it be "Raptoves" ?
Posted by: Jazzzz | January 07, 2009 at 12:02 PM
*SNORK* Jazzzz!!
Posted by: Diva | January 07, 2009 at 12:10 PM
Actually, the use of Maple Leaf is figurative, so it takes the regular ending, not the specialized (or specialised, as they say north of the Great Lakes) ending. This is why your favo(u)rite ballplayer flied out to center (hit a fly ball) instead of flew out to center (propelled himself through the air). Christmas decorations and framed pictures are hung, whereas murderers and framed cattle rustlers are hanged.
The plural of Walkman is Walkman Personal Stereos, and only Tolkien gets to have dwarves (Carl Sagan and Snow White have their dwarfs).
And until recently, Montréal's hockey team was officially the Canadien.
But I'm still wondering about the singular forms: Konerko is a White Sox, but Ortiz is a Red So>.
Posted by: oneblankspace | January 07, 2009 at 12:13 PM
Good thing they aren't called the Fig Leafs.
Posted by: Meanie the Blue | January 07, 2009 at 12:19 PM
I had no idea that cattle rustlers were suitable for framing.
Posted by: Meanie the Blue | January 07, 2009 at 12:36 PM
I notice that Mr. Language Person apparently did not take into consideration, the fact that many of those responsible for the naming of teams speak Canadian ...
(and ... NICE work, insom! I miss his frivolity with the language ... )
Posted by: OtheU(manity) | January 07, 2009 at 12:39 PM
Gentle Bloglit,
It can be a terribly frustrating experience to be both a grammar stickler and a sports fan. Perhaps you should keep your stick on the ice and be a fan of politics instead.
That said, I think it best to take Canadians with a grain of salt. (I like them best with a little arugula tossed with a light vinaigrette.)
Posted by: Mrs Language Person (N2BCW Mrs Blog) | January 07, 2009 at 01:19 PM
As Red Green says,"keep your stick on the ice".
The three phases of hockey:
The Toronto Maple leafs.
The Toronto Maple Leaves.
The Toronto Maple Left.
Posted by: ron | January 07, 2009 at 01:49 PM
Didn't the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group open for the Stones in '68?...
Posted by: Allen at Division | January 07, 2009 at 01:54 PM
I think ron hit the nail on the head. Too many possible bad jokes if you name your team the "Leaves".
Especially when they do as well as the Toronto hockey team has in, oh, the past forty-five years or so.
Posted by: Mr Death | January 07, 2009 at 03:44 PM
Angiosperm recapitulates (chloro)phylogeny, Allen?
Posted by: Mr Death | January 07, 2009 at 03:45 PM
About as many gramarians as guys with a full set of teeth.
Posted by: Davec | January 07, 2009 at 04:45 PM
How, exactly, does one discover he has this talent? Not that I want to see the instructional video.
Posted by: Steve | January 07, 2009 at 05:14 PM
oneblankspace:
On "Réseau des sports" (RDS - the French Canadian ESPN) and "Radio-Canada" (national French Canadian television station) they still say "Le Canadien (singular) de Montréal"... not "Les Canadiens (plural) de Montréal".
We are a very liberal Habs household. My daughter is allowed to remain engaged to her fiancé, the Leafs fan.
Posted by: Witchiecoo | January 07, 2009 at 09:56 PM
Insom, that is simply brilliant. Thanks.
Posted by: whitebeach | January 08, 2009 at 12:42 AM
Thanks, oneblankspace, for the proper usage of hanged versus hung. I thought I was the only one that cared.
Posted by: dugster | December 09, 2010 at 03:13 PM
BTW, what is the right time to use "that," as in "He said he was a communist." or "He said that he was a communist." Or, "He said he drank only two beers" or "He said that he drank only two beers." This is not to imply that communists are or should be beer drinkers.
Posted by: dugster | December 09, 2010 at 03:16 PM