porno as a count noun

[Benjamin Barrett]

On Nov 13, 2008, at 1:35 PM, Ann Burlingham wrote:

> On Thu, Nov 13, 2008 at 10:29 AM, Neal Whitman
> <nwhitman at ameritech.net> wrote:
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Neal Whitman <nwhitman at AMERITECH.NET>
>> Subject:      Re: porno as a count noun
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> I've heard 'porno' as a count noun meaning specificaly a
>> pornographic movie
>> only a few times. I don't remember exactly where, but it always
>> struck me as
>> odd. I figured it must just be common usage among makers and
>> consumers of
>> pornographic movies.
>>
>> I also noticed that the ads (at least here in central Ohio) are
>> trying to
>> ditch the 'porno', and found this explanation:
>
> When I lived in Columbus, a guy at a party complained that his
> girlfriend "had made him throw away all his pornos" before they moved
> - from the context, I gathered this was his porn collection, I thought
> mostly magazine, possibly movies, too. Everyone seemed to understand
> what he meant. I was struck at the time by the usage, but I have heard
> (and used) it since.
>
> That would be from 8-12 years ago, I'd say.
>
> -

To me, porno would refer to a movie, not a magazine because of "porno
movie" and "porn mag(azine)".

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