Just wondering

[Rowan McMullin]

Rowan, age 26, female, considers a "pocketbook" a large wallet, and "purse"
a bag that might contain a pocketbook, but also considers "pocketbook" out
of date.

-Rowan

On 12/29/06, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu> wrote:
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Just wondering
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> At 9:00 PM -0500 12/29/06, Wilson Gray wrote:
> >FWIW,my wife, who's from Wilkes-Barre, speaking of Pennsylavania.
> >doesn't recognize any distinction between "purse" and "pocketbook."
> >
> >Also, FWIW, I don't consider what I call a "change purse" to be a
> >purse in the sense meant here. If my wife asked me to get her purse,
> >it would never occur to me to look inside her pocketbook for her
> >change purse.
> >
> >IAC, I'd say that it's clear that, for some people, "pocketbook" and
> >"purse" name distinct objects and cannot be interchanged. Whew! That's
> >a load off my mind! ;-)
> >
> >-Wilson
>
> A quick poll here;  wife and daughter, both from Connecticut, report
> "purse" and "pocketbook" to be interchangeable in meaning, but
> daughter (age 22) also notes that the latter label is very out of
> date.
>
> LH
>
> >
> >On 12/29/06, GSCole <gscole at ark.ship.edu> wrote:
> >>---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >>-----------------------
> >>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >>Poster:       GSCole <gscole at ARK.SHIP.EDU>
> >>Subject:      Re: Just wondering
>
> >>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>
> >>In my mind, a purse is smaller than a pocketbook; a purse may be carried
> >>inside of a pocketbook.  A coin purse is the smallest purse of which I'm
> >>aware; small enough to be carried in a trouser side pocket.
> >>
> >>George Cole
> >>Shippensburg University
> >>
> >>
> >>-----Original Message-----
> >>From: American Dialect Society on behalf of Brenda Lester
> >>Sent: Fri 29-Dec-06 17:19
> >>Subject:      Re: [ADS-L] Just wondering
> >>
> >>2) "Pocketbook" and "purse" are interchangeable.
> >>   I've always considered a purse to be smaller than a pocketbook. A
> >>pocketbook has all your work-a-day junk in it; a purse is for a few
> >>necessary items.
> >>
> >>Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> >>2) Is there anyone for whom the words "pocketbook" and "purse" denote
> >>different objects? Not "can" or 'could," but _do_.
> >>
> >>-Wilson
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> >
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> >-Sam'l Clemens
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