[Ads-l] Obsolete term: "gas pedal" in an electric car =?UTF-8?Q?=E2=80=93_?=alternatives "potentiometer" or "accelerator"

Marc Sacks msacksg at GMAIL.COM
Fri Sep 27 09:13:53 UTC 2019


For an even more recent obsolescence, and an indication of how much faster
the world changes than our language, I refer to clicking buttons on my cell
phone when using the internet, even though the technically proper word is
"tap" and for that matter there are no physical buttons on either cellular
or computer screens. But "button" still makes metaphorical sense, while
"clicking" a spot on a phone does not.

Marc Sacks

On Thu, Sep 26, 2019 at 10:22 PM Peter Reitan <pjreitan at hotmail.com> wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Peter Reitan <pjreitan at HOTMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Obsolete term: "gas pedal" in an electric car
>               =?Windows-1252?Q?=96_?=alternatives "potentiometer" or
>               "accelerator"
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I imagine almost no one knows the origin of pen, so it seems unlikely the
> r=
> eason it is used for inkless "pens."  Yet I still dial my phone.
> ________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of
> ADSGar=
> son O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2019 6:11:26 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Subject: Re: Obsolete term: "gas pedal" in an electric car =96
> alternatives=
>  "potentiometer" or "accelerator"
>
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> -------------------=
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Obsolete term: "gas pedal" in an electric car
>               =3D?UTF-8?Q?=3DE2=3D80=3D93_?=3Dalternatives "potentiometer"
> =
> or
>               "accelerator"
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> ----
>
> Mark Mandel (MAM) wrote:
> > Well, we still call the panel in front of the driver a "dashboard", even
> > though it no longer is
> >
> >  A panel at the front of a horse-drawn vehicle that projects up to
> protec=
> =3D
> t
> > the riders from mud, water, or snow kicked up by the horse or horses.
> >
> > https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=3D3Ddashboard
>
> Excellent example and good point, MAM. Here is another example, I think.
>
> The word "pen" is still in use, and it is even used for an electronic
> stylus. Yet, the Online Etymology Dictionary says "pen" is derived
> from: late 13c., from Old French pene "quill pen; feather" (12c.) and
> directly from Latin penna "a feather, plume," =3DE2=3D80=3DA6
> https://www.etymonline.com/word/pen
>
> Perhaps the etymologies of "pen" and "dashboard" became sufficiently
> opaque that their semantics shifted without major resistance. I
> suspect that the meaning of "gas" in "gas pedal" is  still relatively
> transparent. Hence, it will be more difficult for the semantics to
> shift to include the accelerator pedal of an electric car.
>
> Garson
>
> > > A participant in a YouTube video discussion about the engineering of
> > > electric cars started to say the phrase "when I step on the gas
> > > pedal", but he stopped before saying "gas pedal". After a delay he
> > > suggested "potentiometer" (I think), and another participant suggested
> > > "accelerator".
> > >
> > > Website: YouTube
> > > Title: Sandy Munro: Model 3 manufacturing, Model Y wiring, and EV
> > > competition
> > > Date: Aug 19, 2019
> > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D3Di93VJ1PEp6o
> > >
> > > Garson
> > >
> > >
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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