成隻成對?| The generalization of singular for plural counter with body parts in Cantonese



自從十年前我已經發現有哩個現象,大部分人明明指係一眼、手、腳都會講咗一
It's bugged me for at least ten years that Cantonese speakers uses the singular counter  when they are clearly referring to a pair (of eyes, hands, legs).  

網上有既例子:
Some attestations from the great Internet:

有咩方法可以令大d (How can I make my eye look bigger?)

好大..好難買鞋.. (My foot is huge... I can't find shoes)

身高170嘅話無理由咁短 (Being 170cm tall, his/her leg shouldn't be so short)

照上文下理肯定係指成對眼/腳(唔通大細眼 長短腳咩)
It is clear from context that they are referring to BOTH eyes/legs (unless you only have one huge foot)
當然,用「對眼」「對腳」既人都有,不過口語裡面講「隻」已經被接受可以解做一對或者一隻。
Of course, there are speakers who use the plural counter  , but the usage of the singular in place of the plural has long been accepted. Its actual quantity is ambiguous 

:我隻眼好痛 (lit. My eye painful)
--究竟係一隻眼定兩隻都痛?兩個解釋都可以
-Does it mean one eye or both eyes? It's ambiguous. 

唔願意接受哩個約定俗成用法既人就會有以下既對話:
If you choose to believe that this usage is a corrupted form, you might have had this conversation before)
A: 你隻眼好靚呀... (Your eye is beautiful...)
B: 係?你講左眼定右眼先?(Really? My left one or the right one?)
A: ..... [The romance killer strikes again!]


但係隻=對既用法似乎只係限於身體部分,而一對對既物件仍然係分得清清楚楚:
伙記,俾隻筷子我呀~  一對筷子
Nonetheless, this singular=plural counter usage appears to be limited to body parts that come in pairs. As for objects that come in pairs, there is a distinction:
e.g.  If you tell the waiter "Give me a chopstick please," he will assume you drop only one and needs only ONE chopstick 


大家係咪都係咁用隻=對?定係冇留意過?有冇試過因此而發生誤會?



Comments

  1. I remember I have had a weird friend who used to correct me every time I said 「我隻腳好攰」or 「你隻眼好靚」... (so I suppose this problem may have been bothering you for more than ten years?) I still use 隻/對 interchangeably though :P and no, I would really say "give me a chopstick please" when I actually need a pair. By the way, it should be 「已經」instead of「己經」! :)

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    1. I would miss the intended meaning of a pair of chopstick if it was spoken to me in the singular form! And not because I am being "the weird friend" but in my mind there is a real distinction between 隻/對 for inanimate objects.

      Correction made.

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