"Divan"

[David A. Daniel]

I used to hang out with a Canadian couple, circa 1970-71. At the time he was
in his forties and she in her thirties. They were from the place where they
have the stampede - ah yes, Calgary. They, well, specifically she that I
recall, unabashedly and as if it were normal, said davenport for couch. I
don't remember if he said it too. (I was sort of smitten by her and thus
paid more attention to things she said.)
DAD


-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of
Jonathan Lighter
Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 2010 4:47 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: "Divan"

Subject:      Re: "Divan"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---

My grandmother (b. 1888 in NYC) told me as a child that "some people" *used=
*
to say "davenport," but that she'd always said "sofa" or "couch."

Her pronunciation of "divan" was "dih-VAN," but that was just another word
that "some people" used to use.

JL

On Tue, Nov 9, 2010 at 1:11 PM, Paul Johnston <paul.johnston at wmich.edu>wrot=
e:

> Poster:       Paul Johnston <paul.johnston at WMICH.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: "Divan"
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
------
>
> Wilson,
>
> My grandmother (born 1879, NYC) used "DYE-van" interchangeably with
> davenport to designate the couch.  My mom (b. 1904) used the word
> occasionally, but I've never heard anyone younger use it.  My students la=
ugh
> at me when I mention this.
>
> Paul Johnston
> On Nov 8, 2010, at 10:06 PM, Wilson Gray wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      "Divan"
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
------
> >
> > Just heard it pronounced "dih-VAN." I've always used " 'DYE-van."
> > Rather, I've always mentally-pictured it that way. I don't recall that
> > I've ever had occasion to speak this word.
> >
> > --
> > -Wilson
> > =96=96=96
> > All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"=96=96a strange complaint=
 to
> > come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
>  > =96Mark Twain
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



--=20
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