`spool'

[Larry Trask]

On Sun, 21 Mar 1999, Glen Gordon wrote:

> LARRY TRASK:
> >It's `reel', generally confined in the US to things around which
> >films, tapes and fishing lines are wound.

> US, US, US! Nothing but US! What about Canada?! We ain't just
> maple-syrup eatin' inuit, you know! The term "reel" is confined to the
> sense of "films, tapes and fishing lines" in ALL of North America, even
> amongst us much-neglected Canadians. <boohoo>
> :P

Sorry, pal -- no offense intended.  Or should that be `no offence'? ;-)

It's just that I didn't know what the facts were in Canada, so I said
nothing.

I personally have never neglected a Canadian in my life.  Actually, I
come from so far north that I'm practically an honorary Canadian.
I even have Canadian Raising in my speech.  And, when I was a kid, we
used to make our own maple syrup.  I watched ice hockey on TV when the
NHL had only six teams, Maurice "the Rocket" Richard was Top Player, and
Wayne Gretzky wasn't even a twinkle in his father's eye.

However, I do *not* have the `cot'/`caught' merger, and I *never* start
a sentence with `as well'.  I gotta have *some* standards.

By the way, are you sure the Inuit eat all that much maple syrup?

Larry Trask
COGS
University of Sussex
Brighton BN1 9QH
UK

larryt at cogs.susx.ac.uk