Exposure to language

[Anne Gilbert]

David:

> While I cannot say these are my preferences, they were so for my father
> (born in Missouri with some probable connections to Kentucky, and
> raised in Kansas.  I know both of these terms from my father's speech
> but prefer dishcloth to dishrag and washcloth the washrag.  Sometimes I
> do catch myself using the -rag form as a variant.  I was born in
> Chicago (my mother came from southwestern Wisconsin.
>
> Phonologically, I am Chicagoan with some NY suburb influences.  My
> father regularly used "worsh".

INteresting. "Washcloth" is "it" in the Pacific NW, AFAIK, and yes, I've
actually heard "worsh" around here.  There are a lot of "incomers"
influencing things around here, though, naturally.
Anne G