Harp

Roger Shuy rshuy at MONTANA.COM
Tue May 23 17:04:21 UTC 2006


Since I've played one of these instruments in groups over the years, I
thought I might leave the shadows and join in. When the members of my group
are identified to audiences, the usual term to describe what I play is
simply "harp." If I had a second choice, it would be "harmonica." To me,
"mouth organ" sounds crude or sloppy. I've heard "French harp" from a few
people the past but it is by far the least common. I think it might be a
variant used by some for "jews harp" (also "juice harp," equally crude and
sloppy sounding).

Roger

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



More information about the Ads-l mailing list