On Tue, 04 Jan 2005 08:09:15 -0800, Miss Elaine Eos
<Misc@*your-shoes*PlayNaked.com> wrote:
> Typical would be that they are "in" the tree, meaning "in and among the
> branches and leaves." They would also be *on* a branch, meaning
> standing on top of a branch. Interesting, the branch is also *on* the
> tree, in this case meaning "attached to", similar to how an ornament is
> hung *on* a Christmas tree.
As I see it, 'in' referring to the birds means "inside the canopy" (and
frequently hidden). The ornaments are designed to be seen from the
outside, and are hung onto the (branches of the) tree.
For example, the vultures in Disney's "Jungle Book" (the original
cartoon) were on a dead tree, not in it (an owl might live in that tree,
but it would be hidden inside the trunk).
> Now *THAT'S* interesting! We say "look at all the birds in that tree",
> but "look at all th ornaments on that tree."
But at the moment I would say "look at all the birds on that tree" which
has no leaves, especially if they are perched on the higher branches and
more visible.
> No wonder English is such a difficult language! :)
At least the syntax is simpler than German (or Russian -- do you really
want six inflected cases?)...
(Actually, several languages, including German, use the same inflexions
for several different cases, 'on' and 'in' aren't always that distinct.
Nor are times, which is why foreigners often mix up 'while', 'until',
'by' etc., as in "Please complete timesheets while Friday" when they
mean "by Friday".)
Chris C
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