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From: jamiller@kitune.ec.t.kanazawa-u.ac.jp (James Miller)
Subject: Re: How language evolves-- "emails"
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References: <3s7vfd$2mr@hecate.umd.edu> <cliff.dunbar.0245177-2106950904260001@nmiam165.jpltn.nt.com> <rte-2206951002300001@mac-118.lz.att.com>
Date: Sat, 24 Jun 1995 15:03:26 GMT
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Xref: glinda.oz.cs.cmu.edu sci.lang:40676 comp.ai.nat-lang:3521

In article <rte-2206951002300001@mac-118.lz.att.com> rte@elmo.lz.att.com (Ralph T. Edwards) writes:
>In article <cliff.dunbar.0245177-2106950904260001@nmiam165.jpltn.nt.com>,
>cliff.dunbar.0245177@nt.com (Cliff Dunbar) wrote:
>> In article <3s7vfd$2mr@hecate.umd.edu>, ram@elan1.carb.nist.gov wrote:
>> > Jorn Barger (jorn@MCS.COM) wrote:
>> > >"I sent her an email."  Sounds fine... suprisingly.
>> > Not to me.
>
>For me email is like mail, an uncountable collective.
>-- 
>R.T.Edwards rte@elmo.att.com 908 576-3031

To me "I have 15 emails waiting for me in my mbox" sounds more
natural that email.  I think I would also say "I have 15 mails
waiting for me in my mbox" as well.  I think I associate two different
meanings with 'mail'.  If I refer to snail mail I think of it as
uncountable collective but if it is email then I think of it
as countable.

What may this represent for me, I wonder?


-- 
James Miller
Coordinator for International Relations
Ishikawa International Culture Exchange Center
jamiller@kitune.ec.t.kanazawa-u.ac.jp
