Hallucinating distinctions (was New Jersey Dialects)

[Dennis R. Preston]

Don't fret Wilson; I remember my grandparents (low-land hillbillies
from far Western Kentucky) saying "davenport': course they'd be well
into their 100s if they was alive.

dInIs

>On Oct 20, 2004, at 3:36 PM, Patti J. Kurtz wrote:
>
>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>-----------------------
>>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>Poster:       "Patti J. Kurtz" <kurtpatt4 at NETSCAPE.NET>
>>Subject:      Re: Hallucinating distinctions (was New Jersey Dialects)
>>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>--------
>>
>>My students in Ohio did a field project and found "davenport," at least
>>in their sample (which admittedly was small), to be very age
>
>Aaarrrggghhh!!!
>
>>  graded (sorry,
>>Wilson!)  That is, mainly people over about 50
>
>Aaarrrggghhh!!!
>
>>  used it at all.  I
>>suspect the same is true here, though I don't think my students have
>>done that project here yet.
>>
>>And I also believe it was a brand name first.
>>
>>FWIW my grandmother used it all the time-- she was in her 60's at the
>>time, in the 1960's in western PA
>>
>>But for me, it's a couch (with the appropriate Pittsburgh twang of
>>course : )
>>
>>Patti Kurtz
>>
>
>Despite my screams of anguish, thank you for your post. I'm glad to
>know that "davenport" really was widespread at one time and that my
>memory of it wasn't a case of the PIST phenomenon.
>
>-Wilson
>
>>wilson.gray at RCN.COM wrote:
>>
>>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>-----------------------
>>>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>Poster:       Wilson Gray <wilson.gray at RCN.COM>
>>>Subject:      Re: Hallucinating distinctions (was New Jersey Dialects)
>>>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>---------
>>>
>>>
>>>dInIs, I'm way disappointed in you, the way you're letting these
>>>Northerners define the field of discussion. Uh-oh. I may be pulling a
>>>PITS, not realizing that some item that I (formerly) used routinely
>>>is,
>>>in fact, a localism. In any case, I'm referring to the use of
>>>"davenport" in preference to either "couch" or "sofa." "Davenport" was
>>>the only term used in East Texas in my childhood, though locals
>>>understood both "sofa" and "couch." If I remember rightly,
>>>"davenport,"
>>>like "frigidaire," was originally a brand name. In this case, it was
>>>the brand name of a sofa or couch that could be pulled out into a bed.
>>>Currently, my conscious mind prefers "couch." but my fingers appear to
>>>like "sofa" better.
>>>
>>>-Wilson Gray
>>>
>>>
>>
>>--
>>
>>Dr. Patti J. Kurtz
>>
>>Assistant Professor, English
>>
>>Director of the Writing Center
>>
>>Minot State University
>>
>>Minot, ND 58707
>>
>>
>>
>>Foster: What about our evidence? They've got to take notice of that.
>>
>>
>>
>>Straker: Evidence. What's it going to look like when Henderson claims
>>that we manufactured it, just to get a space clearance program?
>>
>>
>>
>>Foster: But we are RIGHT!
>>
>>
>>
>>Straker: Sometimes, Colonel, that's not quite enough.


--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor
Department of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic,
        Asian and African Languages
Wells Hall A-740
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1027 USA
Office: (517) 353-0740
Fax: (517) 432-2736