tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1929284578930372562.post2844197393200119842..comments2023-09-11T10:07:46.666+01:00Comments on Linguistics Research Digest: Gentlemen before ladies?Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05100573030401547729noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1929284578930372562.post-73720002802109634202015-11-27T12:38:49.501+00:002015-11-27T12:38:49.501+00:00It's to do with phonetics, not discrimination....It's to do with phonetics, not discrimination. We say "pots and pans" and not "pans and pots" because the 's' in pots is unvoiced and so is the 'p' in pans, whereas the 's' in pans is voiced.<br /><br />In general when there are two words, we say the shorter word before the "and" and the longer word after. Bread and butter, salt and pepper, cops and robbers, ladies and gentlemen, men and women. Gender has nothing to do with it, it's all to do with phonetics and euphony.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18027577412335302492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1929284578930372562.post-80163267089772129952013-11-06T03:57:15.686+00:002013-11-06T03:57:15.686+00:00I wonder if "ladies and gentlemen" is ju...I wonder if "ladies and gentlemen" is just the shortened form of "lords, ladies, and gentlemen"...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com