amber/yellow lights

[David Bowie]

From:    Lynne Murphy <lynnem at COGS.SUSX.AC.UK>

: In the UK the middle color on a traffic light is 'amber' but I
: grew up in the US calling it 'yellow'.  I'm now confused about
: whether I've heard it as 'amber' in the US as well.  Does
: anyone use 'amber'?  If so, is it limited to certain regions
: or traffic control jargon?

I've always called them yellow lights, as has Jeanne, my wife. (I'm from a
half-hour south of Washington DC, she's from a half-hour north of Baltimore
MD, both early 30s, for reference). Jeanne's working on a degree in
transportation engineering right now, though, and in nearly everything i've
seen of hers that's technical, they're called amber lights.

David Bowie                                   Department of Linguistics
Assistant Professor                            Brigham Young University
db.list at pmpkn.net                                   http://pmpkn.net/lx
   The opinions stated here are not necessarily those of my employer