Is it just me or ...

[Charles Doyle]

And we still say, telephonically, "pick up" and "hang up."

As for the instruction to "dial" an extension, the preferable verb would be, naturally, the Southernism "mash."

--Charlie
_________________________________


---- Original message ----
>Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2006 13:28:24 -0400
>From: "Mark A. Mandel" <mamandel at LDC.UPENN.EDU>
>Subject: Re: Is it just me or ...
>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>
>  What about the phone menus that instruct you to "dial" an extension?
>
><<<<<
>
>What about them? As far as I'm concerned, that verb long ago lost any connection with rotary phones, clocks, sundials, or Latin "dialis" 'day (adjective)' "dies" 'day'. What would you prefer? "Enter"? "Key" as
in "keypad"?
>
>-- Mark (qui marque son numéro en français)

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org