perfect synonyms

[Joel S. Berson]

At 7/10/2009 11:47 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>Sounds like "gorse" and "furze" are still the winners.
>
>I might add that "gorse" and "furze" also are synonymous in all contexts and
>at all levels of discourse.

The OED's date profiles are similar, too.

But -- Including regional variations, such as south to north?  Both
botanical and linguistic.  They don't speak the same English starting
somewhere north of Aberdeen.  :-)

Joel

>A classmate of mine once insisted that "speed"
>and "velocity" were just as synonymous.  I tried to disabuse him by pointing
>out that "velocity" was far more prevalent in more technical contexts; in
>addition, I believe it has certain technical connotations and nuances that
>"speed" does not.  Naturally, he shrugged off my objections.
>
>A pair like "aardvark" and "earth-pig" might work, but "earth-pig" is rather
>factitious (besides being open to the charge of binomialism or compounding,
>unlike "aardvark," at lest in English). Neither "gorse" nor "furze" is
>factitious.
>
>JL
>
>On Fri, Jul 10, 2009 at 11:28 AM, Jim Parish <jparish at siue.edu> wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Jim Parish <jparish at SIUE.EDU>
> > Subject:      Re: perfect synonyms
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> > > Years ago I revived the claim that the two most nearly synonymous
> > > words in English are "gorse" and "furze."  Not only do they designate
> > > the same referent; they are both monosyllabic and even bear a minor
> > > phonetic resemblance.
> > >
> > > I can now reveal two comparably synonymous English words. They are so
> > > mundane, however, that no one will be impressed.
> > >
> > > The envelope please:
> > >
> > > "Flapjack" and "slapjack."
> >
> > Hmm? In my lexicon, "flapjack" is a pancake and "slapjack" is a card
> > game.
> >
> > Jim Parish
> >
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