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Off with their head[s]

Off with their head[s]: At the "Language Log" blog, Linguistics Professor Mark Liberman today has this lengthy, well-supported, and multi-colored post evaluating Seventh Circuit Judge Richard A. Posner's use of the word "head" instead of "heads" in the following passage from that court's recent ruling in United States v. Black:

The reference of course is to the legend that ostriches when frightened bury their head in the sand.

Noting my earlier comment (in an update to this post) that Judge Posner should have used the plural "heads" in the quoted sentence, Professor Liberman writes that "In this case, my own intuitions are on Mr. Bashman's side." Professor Liberman then proceeds to review an impressive amount of empirical data showing how other speakers and writers have used "head" or "heads" in this context. The vast preponderance of this evidence, it seems, confirms Professor Liberman (and my) intuitions.

I was planning to allow Judge Posner to have essentially the last word on this matter, but I cannot allow readers of this blog to overlook Professor Liberman's scholarly and lengthy (weighing in at more than 1,600 words) post on the topic.

Full post as published by How Appealing on June 29, 2008 (boomark / email).