Synonymy avoidance

[James C Stalker]

I support my So. IN colleague.  B is black not blonde in my native
Louisville, KY and was black in Chapel Hill, NC in the late 50s and early
60s.

We really must adhere to strict standards here.  No usage variation please.

JCS

Dennis R. Preston writes:

> Just to contribute to this idle speculation further, I should note
> that I grew up with BCH and that the "B" was "black," not blonde. (In
> my adult usage, I have replaced it with "tad.")
>
> dInIs
>
>
>
>>  Just idle speculation as to what would happen if the "standard"
>> measurement unit, an RCH, (red cunt hair -- as in "move that over just a
>> red cunt hair") were to be replaced with a BCH (blonde cunt hair).
>>
>> A red hair (henna, I Love Lucy) is thicker than a blonde hair (peroxide,
>> Baywatch).
>>
>> Sorry if my sense of humor is too murky.  Well, I usually amuse myself.
>>
>> Bill
>>
>>>  -----Original Message-----
>>>  From: American Dialect Society
>>>  [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Ed Keer
>>>  Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2005 8:15 AM
>>>  To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>>>  Subject: Re: Synonymy avoidance
>>>
>>>  ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>  -----------------------
>>>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>  Poster:       Ed Keer <edkeer at YAHOO.COM>
>>>  Subject:      Re: Synonymy avoidance
>>>  --------------------------------------------------------------
>>>  -----------------
>>>
>>>  Ok, I'd love to laugh, but I'm not getting the joke.
>>>  Help?
>>>
>>>  --- "Mullins, Bill" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL> wrote:
>>>  > Not to mention that switching would require that the National
>>>  > Institute of Standards and Technology, (NIST, formerly the National
>>>  > Bureau of Standards, or NBS) would have to dissolve its "Henna
>>>  > Division", a cadre of mobile calibration standards  ready
>>>  to report to
>>>  > field sites all over America, and replace it with a "Peroxide
>>>  > Squadron", who would need to be trained and otherwise brought up to
>>>  > speed.  Plus, "I Love Lucy" would be pulled out of the Primary
>>>  > Standards repository and replaced with "Baywatch".
>>>  >
>>>  > > -----Original Message-----
>>>  > > From: American Dialect Society
>>>  > > [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of
>>>  > Jonathan Lighter
>>>  > > Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2005 6:36 AM
>>>  > > To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>>>  > > Subject: Re: Synonymy avoidance
>>>  > >
>>>  > > ---------------------- Information from the mail
>>>  > header
>>>  > > -----------------------
>>>  > > Sender:       American Dialect Society
>>>  > <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>  > > Poster:       Jonathan Lighter
>>>  > <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
>>>  > > Subject:      Re: Synonymy avoidance
>>>  > >
>>>  >
>>>  --------------------------------------------------------------
>>>  > > -----------------
>>>  > >
>>>  > > Technically, yes. But the RCH appears to have been
>>>  > the
>>>  > > accepted measure for at least sixty years.  Any
>>>  > switch to the
>>>  > > BCH standard would require extensive industrial
>>>  > recalibration
>>>  > > that could result in a slowing of economic growth.
>>>  > >
>>>  > > Cf. the ill-fated attempt to "go metric" many
>>>  > years ago.
>>>  > >
>>>  > > JL
>>>  > >
>>>  > > James C Stalker <stalker at MSU.EDU> wrote:
>>>  > > ---------------------- Information from the mail
>>>  > header
>>>  > > -----------------------
>>>  > > Sender: American Dialect Society
>>>  > > Poster: James C Stalker
>>>  > > Subject: Re: Synonymy avoidance
>>>  > >
>>>  >
>>>  --------------------------------------------------------------
>>>  > > -----------------
>>>  > >
>>>  > > But isn't an RCH bigger than a BCH?
>>>  > >
>>>  > > Jim
>>>  > >
>>>  > > Jonathan Lighter writes:
>>>  > >
>>>  > > > Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer "RCH."
>>>  > > >
>>>  > > > JL
>>>  > > >
>>>  >
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>
>
> --
> 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
>



James C. Stalker
Department of English
Michigan State University