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According to the New Oxford Dictionary of English neither 'lift' and
'elevator' nor 'truck' and 'lorry' are referentially identical. In NODE
the first meaning of 'elevator' is 'a machine consisting of an endless
belt with scoops attached, used typically for raising grain to be
stored in an upper storey: e.g. a 'grain elevator'.' NODE also notes
that 'elevator' is the N. American term for 'lift' in sense 1. This
sense is given as 'something that is used for lifting' and in Brit
dialect 'a platform or compartment housed in a shaft for raising and
lowering people or things to different floors or levels.' But this
sense also applies as subsenses in the terms 'ski lift' and 'shoe
lift'. Both 'lift' and 'elevator' have multiple meanings and it is only
in one particular usage that the terms might be considered synonymous
between the Brit and N. American dialects, viz. when referring to 'a
platform or compartment housed in a shaft for raising and lowering
people or things to different floors or levels.'<br>
<br>
However, 'lorry' only refers to a road vehicle, while 'truck' has a
wider meaning and can refer to both road and rail vehicles. There are
also expressions where only 'lorry' can be used, e.g. 'fell off the
back of a lorry' meaning 'obtain in dubious circumstances,' and the
tongue twister 'red lorry, yellow lorry.' So again the point of
synonymy comes specifically when a Brit uses 'lorry' where a N.
American would use 'truck' to refer to the same object.<br>
<br>
So 'lift' and 'elevator', and 'lorry' and 'truck' cannot be considered
exact synonyms because they are not interchangeable in all contexts.
They are only interchangeable in a very limited context. Even then, I
think I would only substitute 'elevator' for 'lift' in some N. American
influenced context and likewise 'truck' for 'lorry'.<br>
<br>
But is it valid to look for 'synonyms' between different dialects of a
language? If so, then all the 'Englishes' spoken in the world today
should provide a host of synonymous expressions between these
'Englishes'.<br>
<br>
John Roberts<br>
<br>
<br>
Benjamin Barrett wrote:
<blockquote
cite="mid:6F4500BD-D648-462F-BD9F-E12A9434C57D@ix.netcom.com"
type="cite">Even these might be different, though. Lift has meanings
separate from elevator, which are surely used in both regions.
Similarly, truck has multiple meanings other than just lorry.
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Finding examples without those problems still leaves the problem
that the idealized or typical image of a truck is probably different
from that of a lorry due to differences in the models/sizes of the
vehicles in the respective countries, etc.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>It still might be possible to find perfect synonyms in different
dialects, but it might prove to be a difficult task. BB<br>
<div><br>
<div>
<div>On Oct 17, 2008, at 11:15 PM, <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:rtroike@email.arizona.edu">rtroike@email.arizona.edu</a>
wrote:</div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
<blockquote type="cite"><span class="Apple-style-span"
style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<p style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; line-height: 1.22em;"><br
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One ! dimension that has been neglected in this discussion is regional<br
st="" yle="line-height: 1.22em; ">
difference. There are numerous cases in most, probably all, languages<br
style="line-height: 1.22em;">
(provided that they are spoken by more than one person, or perhaps<br
style="line-height: 1.22em;">
one community) where there are regionally different equivalents for<br
style="line-height: 1.22em;">
the same object/activity/<wbr style="line-height: 1.22em;">condition.
British vs American English furnishes<br style="line-height: 1.22em;">
numerous examples: lorry vs truck, lift vs elevator, etc., etc. Surely<br
style="line-height: 1.22em;">
these are exact synonyms, either abstractly or for those who know both,<br
style="line-height: 1.22em;">
and the contexts of usage would be the same in different
speech-communities.<br style="line-height: 1.22em;">
<br style="line-height: 1.22em;">
</p>
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<font class="Apple-style-span" face="Georgia" size="3"><span
class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;"><br>
</span></font></div>
</span></blockquote>
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