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I've just wrapped up the crucial bits of an insanely busy week: grading lots of homework, writing an exam, and several other things all converging at once. So I can finally look back at this meme apparently about regional dialects that's been floating around my friends for a while. (I usually avoid the meme thing, but my fondness for linguistics related topics has overcome my usual resistance this time.) For the record, my relevant regional background is almost certainly "from a 'big' city in Nebraska": I was born in Montana, and I went to college in Los Angeles and grad school in Chicago (and I've been living in LA a couple of years now), but almost all of my formative years were in Lincoln (or Omaha). So what do I call all these things? Answers behind a cut.
1. A body of water, smaller than a river, contained within relatively narrow banks.
2. What the thing you push around the grocery store is called.
3. A metal container to carry a meal in.
4. The thing that you cook bacon and eggs in.
5. The piece of furniture that seats three people.
6. The device on the outside of the house that carries rain off the roof.
7. The covered area outside a house where people sit in the evening.
8. Carbonated, sweetened, non-alcoholic beverages.
9. A flat, round breakfast food served with syrup.
10. A long sandwich designed to be a whole meal in itself.
11. The piece of clothing worn by men at the beach.
12. Shoes worn for sports.
13. Putting a room in order.
14. A flying insect that glows in the dark.
15. The little insect that curls up into a ball.
16. The children's playground equipment where one kid sits on one side and goes up while the other sits on the other side and goes down.
17. How do you eat your pizza?
18. What's it called when private citizens put up signs and sell their used stuff?
19. What's the evening meal?
20. The thing under a house where the furnace and perhaps a rec room are?
21. What do you call the thing that you can get water out of to drink in public places?
22. The object in which a woman carries her keys and money.
Here are my responses; I've tried to avoid brainstorming synonyms and just go with the most natural feeling choice.
1. A body of water, smaller than a river, contained within relatively narrow banks.
* Sounds like a "stream" to me, though "creek" would also work.
2. What the thing you push around the grocery store is called.
* A "shopping cart". (Though "grocery cart" also comes to mind.)
3. A metal container to carry a meal in.
* I'd say a "lunchbox".
4. The thing that you cook bacon and eggs in.
* A "frying pan"? (Though Cooks Illustrated may have me saying "skillet".)
5. The piece of furniture that seats three people.
* A couch. Definitely a couch. (Kim and I have mock-fights about this one.)
6. The device on the outside of the house that carries rain off the roof.
* The "gutters".
7. The covered area outside a house where people sit in the evening.
* A "porch", though I feel like that era may be ending.
8. Carbonated, sweetened, non-alcoholic beverages.
* "Pop". (Matt Dharm and I once wandered all over Mudd asking people "What do you call the machine that I got this from?" while holding up a Pepsi can. We identified a clearly defined "Pop Belt" stretching from the Northwest across to the Dakotas and then down through the Great Plains. But the most amusing answers were the good 10% or so who said "A Coke machine", all evidence to the contrary.)
9. A flat, round breakfast food served with syrup.
* "Pancakes".
10. A long sandwich designed to be a whole meal in itself.
* That's a "sub" or "submarine sandwich".
11. The piece of clothing worn by men at the beach.
* A "bathing suit"? Am I missing something here?
12. Shoes worn for sports.
* I think the concept they're shooting for is what I invariably call "tennis shoes", whether they're technically tennis-specific or not.
13. Putting a room in order.
* "Clean up your room!"
14. A flying insect that glows in the dark.
* A "firefly".
15. The little insect that curls up into a ball.
* A "rolly-poly", though I won't swear to the spelling.
16. The children's playground equipment where one kid sits on one side and goes up while the other sits on the other side and goes down.
* Oh, wow. The phrase "teeter-totter" was rushing to the front of my mind, but I actually watched it get mugged by "see-saw" before it got there.
17. How do you eat your pizza?
* Is this one of those one-of-these-things-is-not-like-the-others things? Are there people who have a special word for pizza-eating? Or am I just supposed to say that I pick it up more or less by the crust and eat from the pointy tip to the crusty edge? (Unless it's a stuffed or deep dish pizza, anyway; those sometimes require a fork and knife, especially when they're fresh.)
18. What's it called when private citizens put up signs and sell their used stuff?
* I could use more specifics here. That might be referring to a "garage sale", but if it's not, I don't know that I have a special word for it.
19. What's the evening meal?
* "Dinner".
20. The thing under a house where the furnace and perhaps a rec room are?
* The "basement". Also where my bedroom was for most of my life growing up.
21. What do you call the thing that you can get water out of to drink in public places?
* A "drinking fountain". (Augusta National Honors Tiger Woods With Own Drinking Fountain: perhaps my favorite Onion headline ever.)
22. The object in which a woman carries her keys and money.
* A "purse".
1. A body of water, smaller than a river, contained within relatively narrow banks.
2. What the thing you push around the grocery store is called.
3. A metal container to carry a meal in.
4. The thing that you cook bacon and eggs in.
5. The piece of furniture that seats three people.
6. The device on the outside of the house that carries rain off the roof.
7. The covered area outside a house where people sit in the evening.
8. Carbonated, sweetened, non-alcoholic beverages.
9. A flat, round breakfast food served with syrup.
10. A long sandwich designed to be a whole meal in itself.
11. The piece of clothing worn by men at the beach.
12. Shoes worn for sports.
13. Putting a room in order.
14. A flying insect that glows in the dark.
15. The little insect that curls up into a ball.
16. The children's playground equipment where one kid sits on one side and goes up while the other sits on the other side and goes down.
17. How do you eat your pizza?
18. What's it called when private citizens put up signs and sell their used stuff?
19. What's the evening meal?
20. The thing under a house where the furnace and perhaps a rec room are?
21. What do you call the thing that you can get water out of to drink in public places?
22. The object in which a woman carries her keys and money.
Here are my responses; I've tried to avoid brainstorming synonyms and just go with the most natural feeling choice.
1. A body of water, smaller than a river, contained within relatively narrow banks.
* Sounds like a "stream" to me, though "creek" would also work.
2. What the thing you push around the grocery store is called.
* A "shopping cart". (Though "grocery cart" also comes to mind.)
3. A metal container to carry a meal in.
* I'd say a "lunchbox".
4. The thing that you cook bacon and eggs in.
* A "frying pan"? (Though Cooks Illustrated may have me saying "skillet".)
5. The piece of furniture that seats three people.
* A couch. Definitely a couch. (Kim and I have mock-fights about this one.)
6. The device on the outside of the house that carries rain off the roof.
* The "gutters".
7. The covered area outside a house where people sit in the evening.
* A "porch", though I feel like that era may be ending.
8. Carbonated, sweetened, non-alcoholic beverages.
* "Pop". (Matt Dharm and I once wandered all over Mudd asking people "What do you call the machine that I got this from?" while holding up a Pepsi can. We identified a clearly defined "Pop Belt" stretching from the Northwest across to the Dakotas and then down through the Great Plains. But the most amusing answers were the good 10% or so who said "A Coke machine", all evidence to the contrary.)
9. A flat, round breakfast food served with syrup.
* "Pancakes".
10. A long sandwich designed to be a whole meal in itself.
* That's a "sub" or "submarine sandwich".
11. The piece of clothing worn by men at the beach.
* A "bathing suit"? Am I missing something here?
12. Shoes worn for sports.
* I think the concept they're shooting for is what I invariably call "tennis shoes", whether they're technically tennis-specific or not.
13. Putting a room in order.
* "Clean up your room!"
14. A flying insect that glows in the dark.
* A "firefly".
15. The little insect that curls up into a ball.
* A "rolly-poly", though I won't swear to the spelling.
16. The children's playground equipment where one kid sits on one side and goes up while the other sits on the other side and goes down.
* Oh, wow. The phrase "teeter-totter" was rushing to the front of my mind, but I actually watched it get mugged by "see-saw" before it got there.
17. How do you eat your pizza?
* Is this one of those one-of-these-things-is-not-like-the-others things? Are there people who have a special word for pizza-eating? Or am I just supposed to say that I pick it up more or less by the crust and eat from the pointy tip to the crusty edge? (Unless it's a stuffed or deep dish pizza, anyway; those sometimes require a fork and knife, especially when they're fresh.)
18. What's it called when private citizens put up signs and sell their used stuff?
* I could use more specifics here. That might be referring to a "garage sale", but if it's not, I don't know that I have a special word for it.
19. What's the evening meal?
* "Dinner".
20. The thing under a house where the furnace and perhaps a rec room are?
* The "basement". Also where my bedroom was for most of my life growing up.
21. What do you call the thing that you can get water out of to drink in public places?
* A "drinking fountain". (Augusta National Honors Tiger Woods With Own Drinking Fountain: perhaps my favorite Onion headline ever.)
22. The object in which a woman carries her keys and money.
* A "purse".
no subject
http://popvssoda.com:2998/
I lived in Atlanta for 8 years, where "Coke" is the standard word (since it's the headquarters for Coca-Cola).