hallway (1860) & hall (=hallway)

[Barnhart]

American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> writes:
>but without knowing the layout of the house
>involved it's hard to tell for sure; maybe if one read the whole piece it
>would be obvious, maybe not.


This, of course, is a major obstacle for understanding which meaning is
appropriate.  The idea of the entrance or receiving area of a house
derives from the architecture in which the entrance hall was as large as,
or larger than, the other rooms.  The sentence Whitney uses, however, is
not revealing.  It could read either way.  I suspect, however, is intended
to be a receiving area rather than a hallway.  The MOA quote I will look
at further.

Thanks for the information.

Regards,
David

barnhart at highlands.com