pleonasms: ink pen

[David Bowie]

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

: > I don't buy the notion that "ink pen" developed as a
: > disambiguating ploy. What is the likelihood that
: > "(straight) pin" or "(safety) pin" or "(sticking)
: > pin" would come to mind in a context in which someone
: > asks for a(n ink) pen?  I'd say it's way, way under 1%.
: > In my mind it's more likely that the tautologous "ink
: > pen" developed as a way of referring to a (fountain)
: > pen or (dipped) pen as opposed, tautologously, to a lead
: > pencil, which also occurs in speech.

: But those of us without pin/pen merger don't say 'ink pen'.
: The phrase has never come out of my mouth--I swear!  If i
: needed to differentiate it from a non-ink pen, I'd call it
: a 'regular pen' or some such thing.

: I'm betting that it's more likely heard (or started out in)
: contexts where you do have some ambiguity.  You'd probably
: hear "I need an ink pen" or "Do you have an ink pen" but
: not "I wrote it with an ink pen".

True personal story: When i was about five years old, i got in (mild)
trouble for "ignoring" something my father asked me to do. I was on one side
of the room, and he was on the other side of the room, doing something he
couldn't move away from, and he said to me, "Bring me that p*n over there."

I heard "pin", but he'd meant "pen" (whether because his production was
merged or my perception was merged or both, i don't know). There was, in
fact, a pen sitting right in front of me, but i thought he'd seen a pin and
wanted me to pick it up and bring it to him so nobody'd step on it.

As a result, i looked around without seeing a pin for long enough that i got
scolded for not doing what i'd been asked.

So, just from personal experience, and given that "pin" and "pen" are both
fairly common household-implement-type objects, i'd have to say that i tend
to think they aren't as free from the possibility of ambiguity, even given
context, as someone without experience with the merger might think.

<snip>

David Bowie                                         http://pmpkn.net/lx
    Jeanne's Two Laws of Chocolate: If there is no chocolate in the
    house, there is too little; some must be purchased. If there is
    chocolate in the house, there is too much; it must be consumed.