"slang" and "informal" as dict labels [WAS: shirty?]

[Peter A. McGraw]

I lived in New Jersey (metro NYC) in the mid-'80s, and though I never heard
anyone there overtly eschew the use of "Jersey," my unscientific
observation was that the only people I ever heard say it were New Yorkers.
I don't recall ever hearing a New Jerseyan drop the "New.".  When we moved
to Oregon (in our car with NJ plates), my new next-door neighbor introduced
himself with the words, "So you're from Jersey, huh?"  (Guess where he was
from!)

But it's quite possible I just never happened to run into anyone from a
social group or a part of the state where "Jersey" was used.

Peter Mc.


--On Monday, February 17, 2003 9:57 AM -0800 Dave Wilton <dave at WILTON.NET>
wrote:

> Speaking as a Jersey boy born and bred, "Jersey" is not a shibboleth, or
> at least not one that is widely observed. Growing up, we used "Jersey"
> all the time to refer to our home and when asked where I come from, to
> this day my response is usually a simple "Jersey."



****************************************************************************
                               Peter A. McGraw
                   Linfield College   *   McMinnville, OR
                            pmcgraw at linfield.edu