"Word" words?

[Benjamin Zimmer]

On Fri, Apr 25, 2008 at 10:09 AM, LanDi Liu <strangeguitars at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Well, Heidi Harley wrote something about it here:
> http://158.130.17.5/~myl/languagelog/archives/004317.html
> http://heideas.blogspot.com/2007/03/third-annual-simpsons-st-patricks-day.html
>
> And I seem to remember someone else writing something more about that
> later on LL, but I can't seem to find it.  Ben?

More here:

http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/004591.html
http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/004594.html
http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/004657.html
http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/005460.html

The first one cites the article by Ghomeshi et al. that Larry provides
elsethread.

--Ben Zimmer


> On Fri, Apr 25, 2008 at 9:50 PM, Guy Letourneau <guy1656 at opusnet.com> wrote:
>
> >  Richard Lederer wrote of "word words," which are nouns spoken twice to
> >  indicate that what is meant is the thing in its most ordinary instance.
> >  For example "tea-tea" might be spoken to contrast from ice tea, or
> >  exceptionally exotic preparations.
> >
> >  Some may remember an air freshener ad which named the product an "air
> >  conditioner" in which an exasperated housewife explains "it's not an air
> >  conditioner - air conditioner, it's an air CONDITIONER."
> >
> >  Anyways, my wife was wondering about writers who append an English
> >  equivalent after a borrowed word. She said she had read of a woman who
> >  'wore a kimono robe and an obi belt.' 'Robe' and 'belt' seemed redundant
> >  to her.
> >
> >  Any comments? Is there a katana sword, an ushanka hat, or borscht soup?
> >
> >  - GLL
> >
> >
> >  PS: And a joke for all:
> >
> >  Knock knock.
> >
> >  Who's there?
> >
> >  Objective case.
> >
> >  Objective case who?
> >
> >  No, objective case *whom*.
> >
> >  ------------------------------------------------------------
> >  The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Randy Alexander
> Jilin City, China
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

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