Because I like linguistics
Dec. 4th, 2003 08:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
serenissimaEverybody's doin it --
Age: twentysomething
Where did you grow up (ages 5-15)?
Southeastern United States, suburb of a large city
WHAT DO YOU CALL:
1. A body of water, smaller than a river, contained within relatively narrow banks?
A stream, or a brook, or a creek. I think I'd be most likely to say "stream," but it's a close contest among the three.
2. The thing you push around the grocery store?
A shopping cart.
3. A metal container to carry a meal in?
A lunchbox.
4. The thing that you cook bacon and eggs in?
A frying pan.
5. The piece of furniture that seats three people?
A couch, or a sofa, but I'm much more likely to say "couch."
6. The device on the outside of the house that carries rain off the roof?
Gutters. The vertical one is a downspout, I suppose.
7. The covered area outside a house where people sit in the evening?
A porch.
8. Carbonated, sweetened, non-alcoholic beverages?
Soda.
9. A flat, round breakfast food served with syrup?
Pancakes.
10. A long sandwich designed to be a whole meal in itself?
A sub sandwich.
11. The piece of clothing worn by men at the beach?
Swim trunks.
12. Shoes worn for sports?
Sneakers.
If they're worn for a serious athletic endeavour, then specifically "running shoes" or "basketball shoes" or "tennis shoes," etc., as appropriate, but if they're just for whatever, hanging out, miscellaneous outdoor activity, then "sneakers."
13. Putting a room in order?
Cleaning.
14. A flying insect that glows in the dark?
A firefly.
15. The little insect that curls up into a ball?
A pillbug. And it's not an insect, it's really a crustacean.
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?
A see-saw.
17. How do you eat your pizza?
With hands, pointy end first, unless it's too floppy to stay flat, in which case I try to fold the point back toward the crust. Rectangular slices of cafeteria pizza are best eaten with knife & fork.
18. What's it called when private citizens put up signs and sell their used stuff?
A garage sale.
19. What's the evening meal?
Dinner, but I used to call it supper. I switched some time during grade school, I don't know why.
20. The thing under a house where the furnace and perhaps a rec room are?
If you can get to it through an ordinary door and it's fairly finished, with a light fixture, it's a basement. If there's a recreation room, it's definitely a basement.
If you have to go outside the house to get to it, if the floor is bare concrete and the ceiling is nothing but pipes, it's a furnace room.
If you can't stand up straight in it, it's a crawlspace.
21. An unusually heavy rain which does not last long?
A storm? A rainstorm, if necessary to distinguish it from snow/sleet/sand? If there's thunder, then it's a thunder shower.
22. A window covering on rollers that pulls down?
Shades.
23. A new, limited access, multi-lane road?
Freeway or expressway. I might also say "highway," but highways can have traffic lights, whereas the other two don't.
And my own addition:
24. A hard candy on a stick?
A lollipop.
Age: twentysomething
Where did you grow up (ages 5-15)?
Southeastern United States, suburb of a large city
WHAT DO YOU CALL:
1. A body of water, smaller than a river, contained within relatively narrow banks?
A stream, or a brook, or a creek. I think I'd be most likely to say "stream," but it's a close contest among the three.
2. The thing you push around the grocery store?
A shopping cart.
3. A metal container to carry a meal in?
A lunchbox.
4. The thing that you cook bacon and eggs in?
A frying pan.
5. The piece of furniture that seats three people?
A couch, or a sofa, but I'm much more likely to say "couch."
6. The device on the outside of the house that carries rain off the roof?
Gutters. The vertical one is a downspout, I suppose.
7. The covered area outside a house where people sit in the evening?
A porch.
8. Carbonated, sweetened, non-alcoholic beverages?
Soda.
9. A flat, round breakfast food served with syrup?
Pancakes.
10. A long sandwich designed to be a whole meal in itself?
A sub sandwich.
11. The piece of clothing worn by men at the beach?
Swim trunks.
12. Shoes worn for sports?
Sneakers.
If they're worn for a serious athletic endeavour, then specifically "running shoes" or "basketball shoes" or "tennis shoes," etc., as appropriate, but if they're just for whatever, hanging out, miscellaneous outdoor activity, then "sneakers."
13. Putting a room in order?
Cleaning.
14. A flying insect that glows in the dark?
A firefly.
15. The little insect that curls up into a ball?
A pillbug. And it's not an insect, it's really a crustacean.
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?
A see-saw.
17. How do you eat your pizza?
With hands, pointy end first, unless it's too floppy to stay flat, in which case I try to fold the point back toward the crust. Rectangular slices of cafeteria pizza are best eaten with knife & fork.
18. What's it called when private citizens put up signs and sell their used stuff?
A garage sale.
19. What's the evening meal?
Dinner, but I used to call it supper. I switched some time during grade school, I don't know why.
20. The thing under a house where the furnace and perhaps a rec room are?
If you can get to it through an ordinary door and it's fairly finished, with a light fixture, it's a basement. If there's a recreation room, it's definitely a basement.
If you have to go outside the house to get to it, if the floor is bare concrete and the ceiling is nothing but pipes, it's a furnace room.
If you can't stand up straight in it, it's a crawlspace.
21. An unusually heavy rain which does not last long?
A storm? A rainstorm, if necessary to distinguish it from snow/sleet/sand? If there's thunder, then it's a thunder shower.
22. A window covering on rollers that pulls down?
Shades.
23. A new, limited access, multi-lane road?
Freeway or expressway. I might also say "highway," but highways can have traffic lights, whereas the other two don't.
And my own addition:
24. A hard candy on a stick?
A lollipop.
