the Puget Sound

[A. Maberry]

On Thu, 14 Nov 2002, Laurence Horn wrote:
>
> That's how Long Island Sound works around here (southern
> Connecticut), or on the Island (where I used to live).  Either "They
> live on Long Island Sound" or "They live on the Sound", but never (as
> Steve Boatti points out) "They live on the Long Island Sound".   What
> I'm wondering is if anyone has tried using "The Puget Sound" for
> Seattle-style music (neo-grunge?).  Seems like a natural.
>
> larry

Good one!
Lexis-Nexis has a couple of cites for "the Puget Sound" (admittedly I only
searched "Puget Sound"+"grunge" and in the process came up with:

Denver Rocky Mountain News, May 7 1994: "... Kemp couldn't find the Puget
Sound from Pier 70."

Seattle Times, Feb. 22 1993: "...the city on the Puget Sound."

In my experience it works as described for Long Island Sound:

"I have a house on Puget Sound." [unfortunately not true]
"I have a house on the Sound."
"He couldn't find the Puget Sound from the Bremerton Ferry."
*"I have a house on the Puget Sound."
?"Anyone who falls in the Puget Sound will die of hypothermia in minutes."

Certainly the last sentence depends on stress. I don't think there would
be any question about "Anyone who falls into the *PUGET* Sound [as opposed
to some warmer sound] will die of hypothermia in minutes."

allen
maberry at u.washington.edu