1. Have you ever wondered why we use the fixed order of men first in 'men and women,' but ladies first in 'ladies and gentlemen'?
2. Or what about the fixed order in English as 'black and white,' when Spanish has the fixed order of 'white and black'?
3. Or English's order in 'four or five', when some Native American languages have the fixed order 'five or four'?
I have no solid explanations for these observations. But my hypothesis for the first is that the expression 'ladies and gentlemen' is typically used in public, social settings involving chivalry and deference to women. The way a language counts (or even what is being counted) could explain the difference in the third set, but the second set - black, white - puzzles me. What are your thoughts?
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