Two other countries separated by a common language

[Dennis Preston]

Speech-act jokes are even beneath puns.

dInIs

PS: No offense Larry.

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>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Mark Sacks <msacks at THEWORLD.COM>
>Subject:      Re: Two other countries separated by a common language
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>
>I don't think this is American-vs-Australian confusion. The answerer could
>simply have been a nerd.
>
>I long time ago I was running a folk-dance party in a dorm hall at MIT. In
>the late afternoon, I noticed it was getting dark and asked a math major
>who knew the facility where the lights were. He immediately pointed to the
>ceiling; and no, he was not being deliberately funny.
>
>Marc Sacks
>msacks at theworld.com
>
>The question,
>>
>>  "Can you use one of these?" ["Would you like to have one of these?"] in
>>  American
>>
>>  was re-interpreted as:
>>
>>  "Do you have the ability to use of one of these?" in Australian.
>
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--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor
Department of English
Morrill Hall 15-C
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48864 USA

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