On 27 Jan 2005 09:19:09 GMT, (Nick Maclaren) wrote:

~In article ,
~rwakeford wrote:
~On 26 Jan 2005 22:31:25 GMT, Nick Maclaren wrote:
~
~It'a funny thing but most of us right handed gardeners dig
~left-handed,i.e. our left foot goes on the spade and our left hand goes
~down the shaft. ...
~
~ Do we? Not in my observation.
~
~He did say "most" and how many have you actually "observed" to make that
~statement? ;-)
~
~Probably as many as he had :-)
~
~Anyway, his remark shows a misunderstanding of handedness. It is a
~complicated phenomenon, but applies mostly to actions that need fine
~motor control and/or fine visual control. It applies very little to
~actions that need only gross motor control and little visual control,
~such as digging.

I have whichever foot on the spade I think I've not used for 10
minutes or so, but usually it's the right hand at the top of the spade
and left hand down the shaft. My footedness (!) is to even out strain
and stop me getting nightmare sciatica again.

Hands - well, I always used to confuse people when playing badminton
as I'd switch playing hands if the shuttlecock was on the opposite
side to the hand with the racquet. Though nominally right, I've always
thought I was ambidextrous and I married a lefty, so it will be
interesting if we have kids to see what their handedness is.

Anyone know what the genetics of lefthandedness are?

~I am extremely right-handed, and have serious difficulty operating a
~screwdriver left-handed, yet have no trouble operating a wrench - in
~fact, I probably do that left-handed from preference. I dig on the
~right side from preference (with hand tools as well as long ones),
~but can use the other side when it is more convenient. This is all
~very normal.

Hand tools I think I use my right, simply from habit.

Given the advantages of writing roman script when a righty, and having
90-ish% of western folk a righty, is there a greater tendency to
lefthandedness in peoples who write R-L like Hebrew or Arabic? And
what about Chinese pictograms (Top-bottom??)

You've all got me curious now...


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

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