Just wondering

Tue Jan 2 00:25:38 UTC 2007

I now recall that the possible distinction occurred to me around 1958.  I asked my grandmother about them (she used "pocketbook" almost exclusively and had evidently been doing so since ca1895), and her reaction was that she didn't think there was any difference.

  A "handbag" was/ is (for me and my ilk) a kind of "pocketbook" or "purse" unless it is quite large. But I think of at as a slightly more commercial term. As an adult, I generally say "bag." Or "pocketbook."

  My wife (another New Yorker) says that "pocketbook" and "purse" are synonymous for her as well.

  JL

Victoria Neufeldt <v.neufeldt at SASKTEL.NET> wrote:
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Poster: Victoria Neufeldt
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I lived in the U.S. for about 16 years (1984-2000), in Cleveland and in
Springfield, MA; I remember being struck by the use of _pocketbook_ for what
I would call a handbag or purse. In my experience in the U.S., _pocketbook_
and _purse_ were synonymous. _Pocketbook_ (an Americanism in this usage)
seemed the standard term, far more common than _purse_. I don't recall a
distinction in usage based on age (i.e., I wasn't aware that _pocketbook_
was considered old-fashioned). I think of _purse_ as being somewhat
old-fashioned in Canada (haven't done any research on this though); my own
general term is _handbag_ and that's probably the more common term in Canada
as a whole. _Pocketbook_ for me is restricted to its extended meaning of
financial resources. I agree with Wilson that _purse_ means _handbag_; if I
want to refer to a small container for money, etc. that you carry in your
pocket or purse/handbag, I would say _change purse_, never just _purse_.

Victoria

Victoria Neufeldt
Editor, DSNA Newsletter
727 9th Street East
Saskatoon, Sask.
S7H 0M6
Canada
Tel: (306) 955-8910

----- Original Message -----
From: "Wilson Gray"
To:
Sent: Friday, December 29, 2006 8:00 PM
Subject: Re: Just wondering

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> Sender: American Dialect Society
> Poster: Wilson Gray
> Subject: Re: Just wondering
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
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>
> 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
>
> On 12/29/06, GSCole wrote:
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> > Sender: American Dialect Society
> > Poster: GSCole
> > Subject: Re: Just wondering
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
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> >
> > 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 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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