[Ads-l] Media inquiry: "bubbler" (water fountain)

Sat May 27 21:29:03 UTC 2023

It appears to have been originally a brand name,  the Hayes Bubbler which then
became a generic term.

Here's a reference to the Bubbler from  somewhere between 1909 to 1912 where it
seems to be a new product launch.

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Cold/pH8ZAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=water+fountain+hayes+bubbler&dq=water+fountain+hayes+bubbler&printsec=frontcover

"Cordley and Hayes , 12 Leonard street , New York , N. Y. , have perfected and are
putting on the market a " Bubbler " for water coolers

And here's a few more references

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Woodford_County_School_Bulletin/x7ApAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=water+fountain+%22hayes+bubbler%22&dq=water+fountain+%22hayes+bubbler%22&printsec=frontcover

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Commercial_America/Xss7AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=water+fountain+bubbler&dq=water+fountain+bubbler&printsec=frontcover

------ Original Message ------
>From "Joe Salmons" <000008f18d0e0c45-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
To ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Date 02/02/2023 19:03:34
Subject Re: Media inquiry: "bubbler" (water fountain)

>The Kohler Company produced a valve with the relevant name. Brief discussion here: https://wep.csumc.wisc.edu/english/ under ‘Words’ and scrolling down to ‘bubbler’ for an old ad.
>
>The story is that the term is used where the valve was widely sold, including bits of New England, (mostly eastern) Wisconsin and Melbourne, Australia.
>
>From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>Date: Thursday, February 2, 2023 at 12:55 PM
>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Subject: Re: Media inquiry: "bubbler" (water fountain)
>Ditto. During the four years I spent in Madison I confirmed that "bubbler"
>was familiar to my students who were indigenous to the state and not so
>much to outlanders.  But I'm not surprised at Herb's observations re
>Michigan, or if similar ones hold for Minnesota or Iowa.
>
>LH
>
>On Thu, Feb 2, 2023 at 1:48 PM Herb Stahlke <hfwstahlke at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>I know "bubbler" is used in Wisconsin because I went to high school and
>>junior college in Milwaukee, and that's the term we used.  However, I grew
>>up in Waltz, MI, a dinky village about 25 miles south of Detroit, and we
>>used the term there.  My brother-in-law grew up in Clio, about 10 miles
>>north of Flint, MI, and he also used it.
>>
>>On February 2, 2023, at 1:26 PM, Stephen Goranson <goranson at duke.edu>
>>wrote:
>>
>>The River Falls {Wisconsin] Journal, Feb. 24, 1910 5/1
>>The "sanitary bubblers" drinking fountains, ordered by the local school
>>board, have arrived...
>>Library of Congress newspapers
>>https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85033255/1910-02-24/ed-1/seq-5/
>>[
>>https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85033255/1910-02-24/ed-1/seq-5/thumbnail.jpg
>>]<
>>https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85033255/1910-02-24/ed-1/seq-5/><https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85033255/1910-02-24/ed-1/seq-5/%3e>
>>River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.)
>>1872-2019, February 24, 1910, Image 5<
>>https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85033255/1910-02-24/ed-1/seq-5/><https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85033255/1910-02-24/ed-1/seq-5/%3e>
>>River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.)
>>1872-2019, February 24, 1910, Image 5, brought to you by Wisconsin
>>Historical Society, and the National Digital Newspaper Program.
>>chroniclingamerica.loc.gov
>>
>>
>>________________________________
>>From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of
>>Cohen, Gerald Leonard <gcohen at MST.EDU>
>>Sent: Thursday, February 2, 2023 1:15 PM
>>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>Subject: Media inquiry: "bubbler" (water fountain)
>>
>>Dear ads-l members,
>>
>>Today I received a media inquiry concerning dialectal English "bubbler"
>>(water fountain).  The reporter aks several questions, and any
>>insight/information/guidance would be very gratefully received.
>>
>>Gerald Cohen
>>P.S. Of course, DARE would be a logical first step, and here is what
>>OED3 has:
>>
>>BUBBLER
>>
>>  4. Originally Australian. A drinking fountain which spouts bubbling
>>water. More fully bubbler fountain.Not used in British English.
>>
>>1913   World's News (Sydney) 8 June 11/3   One fountain manufacturer has
>>designed a bubbler which may be raised to the lips while the user is in a
>>standing position.
>>1926   Sanitary & Heating Engin. July 582   Every Test, Century Bubblers
>>are Sanitary and Attractive.
>>1930   Cumberland Argus & Fruitgrowers' Advocate (Parramatta, New S.
>>Wales) 15 Feb. 3/2   New bubbler. Liverpool Council last week decided to
>>place a bubbler fountain in front of P. Wych's shop at Moorebank.
>>1983   Canberra Times 4 Mar. 1/4   Children were unable to drink from the
>>school bubbler.
>>2006   Chicago Tribune (Midwest ed.) 3 Sept. viii. 4/5   There's a faucet
>>on either side... A third side has a drinking fountain—a ‘bubbler’, as we
>>say.
>>
>>
>>________________________________
>>From: Landeck, Katie <KLandeck at gannett.com>
>>Sent: Thursday, February 2, 2023 10:20 AM
>>To: Cohen, Gerald Leonard <gcohen at mst.edu>
>>Subject: Media inquiry: A question about the word "bubbler"
>>
>>Hello,
>>
>>My name is Katie, and I am reporter with The Providence Journal in Rhode
>>Island. I was reading your topics of expertise on the American Dialect
>>Society website, and I'm hoping you would be able to help me with an
>>article on one of our favorite local slang words — bubbler.
>>
>>The term is so regional that when I moved in 6th grade from a town on the
>>Rhode Island border one hour away to Western Mass, my classmates stopped
>>knowing what I was talking about so I switched from bubbler to water
>>fountain. My understanding - and correct me if I'm wrong - is that bubbler
>>was a brand name for Kohler and for some reason it stuck in the Rhode
>>Island area and parts of Wisconsin.
>>
>>My article is just trying to answer why this happened. If you know
>>anything about the term bubbler in specific, I would love your insight on
>>it. But also, I'm wondering if you could tell me how often and why a brand
>>name becomes a slang word for a region? What makes it stick? My other
>>question is, why do we love our regional dialects and slang so much?
>>
>>Hope to hear from you,
>>Katie
>>
>>Engagement Reporter
>>
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