what do I call things) doing the rounds that I'm finding quite interesting, I've seen answers in Aussie, New Orleans, Yorksher, London and Real Places (ie Devon). So I thought I'd compile the common answers into a poll (linguistic shifts interest me). As always, if you don't have a Livejournal account you can login and vote with any OpenID, which everyone's got these days. So, without further ado...
Poll #1169647 Dialect meme: What do you call things?
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 39
1. A body of water, smaller than a river, contained within relatively narrow banks.
Bayou
0 (0.0%)
Beck 4 (10.3%)
Brook 4 (10.3%)
Stream 25 (64.1%)
The Yarra 0 (0.0%)
Other 6 (15.4%)
Other?
2. What the thing you push around the grocery store is called.
Other?
3. A metal container to carry a meal in.
Other?
4. The thing that you cook bacon and eggs in.
Frying Pan 37 (94.9%)
Skillet 4 (10.3%)
Wok 2 (5.1%)
Yer Billie 0 (0.0%)
Terror 0 (0.0%)
Other 0 (0.0%)
Other?
5. The piece of furniture that seats three people.
Settee 11 (28.2%)
Chaise Longue 1 (2.6%)
Sofa 29 (74.4%)
Couch 12 (30.8%)
The Dunny down behind the boatshed 0 (0.0%)
Other 1 (2.6%)
Other?
6. The device on the outside of the house that carries rain off the roof.
Other?
7. The covered area outside a house where people sit in the evening.
Porch 10 (27.0%)
Awning 1 (2.7%)
Patio 7 (18.9%)
The pub 10 (27.0%)
The conservatory 4 (10.8%)
The Old Chookshed 0 (0.0%)
terrace 1 (2.7%)
summerhouse 1 (2.7%)
gazebo 0 (0.0%)
Other 3 (8.1%)
Other?
8. Carbonated, sweetened, non-alcoholic beverages.
Fizzy drink 21 (56.8%)
Pop 11 (29.7%)
Soda 2 (5.4%)
Coke 0 (0.0%)
Fosters, mate 0 (0.0%)
Other 3 (8.1%)
Other?
9. A flat, round breakfast food served with syrup.
Crumpet 4 (10.8%)
Pikelet 1 (2.7%)
Pancake 25 (67.6%)
Bacon and eggs 1 (2.7%)
Sunny side up 1 (2.7%)
Other 5 (13.5%)
Other?
10. A long sandwich designed to be a whole meal in itself.
Other?
11. The piece of clothing worn by men at the beach?
Other?
12. Shoes worn for sports.
Trainers 29 (74.4%)
Pumps 0 (0.0%)
Sneakers 5 (12.8%)
Steel toe-caps 0 (0.0%)
Only pooftas wear shoes for footie 0 (0.0%)
rock shoes 0 (0.0%)
football boots 0 (0.0%)
rugby boots 1 (2.6%)
Other 4 (10.3%)
Other?
13. Putting a room in order.
Tidying (up) 28 (71.8%)
Unlikely 7 (17.9%)
Cleaning up 4 (10.3%)
Demolitions 0 (0.0%)
Arson 0 (0.0%)
Other 0 (0.0%)
Other?
14. A flying insect that glows in the dark.
Firefly 22 (57.9%)
Glow worm 13 (34.2%)
Gordon Brown 1 (2.6%)
Yer Mother-in-Law with a Kero Lamp 0 (0.0%)
Other 2 (5.3%)
Other?
15. The little insect that curls up into a ball.
Other?
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.
Other?
17. How do you eat your pizza?
Cut out a slice, eat from the point. 15 (41.7%)
Knife and Fork, because I don't have a cool pizza slicer. 3 (8.3%)
Hands 8 (22.2%)
With a few XXXX stubbies 0 (0.0%)
By putting it in my mouth, chewing, and swallowing 7 (19.4%)
Other 3 (8.3%)
Other?
18. What's it called when private citizens put up signs and sell their used stuff?
Garage sale 5 (12.8%)
Yard Sale 4 (10.3%)
A recession 3 (7.7%)
car boot sales 16 (41.0%)
The Bank foreclosed, mate 0 (0.0%)
jumble sales 7 (17.9%)
Other 4 (10.3%)
Other?
19. What's the evening meal?
Other?
20. The thing under a house where the furnace and perhaps a rec room are?
Other?
21. What do you call the thing that you can get water out of to drink in public places?
Water Fountain 29 (76.3%)
vending machine 1 (2.6%)
shop 5 (13.2%)
The Publican at the pub that sells Fosters. 1 (2.6%)
Other 2 (5.3%)
Other?
Huge bunch of sources for some of those questions (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7), and some of the differences and similarities are strange. Yorkshire is, from what I can tell, more "different" than most of the other places, Londoners and Devonshire folk speak more similarly to USians and Aussies thanthey do to, supposedly, fellow English peeps. Well, God's Own Country and all that. I still cause confusion calling cakes cakes and dinner dinner (seriously, the word for lunch is dinner ? How does that work?). Ah well, have fun voting y'all.[*] Two different people who I'm sure don't read each other did the same joke for that one, just for different countries.
Off out now, discovering the joys of Bradford nightlife. Wish me luck.
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Comments
Also, I went for "settee" because I think that's the one I say most often, but I will also use "sofa" and if it's particularly snuggly or made of leather, "couch".
As you were.
Are you going to the Gasworks?
(The inspiration for the poll was the silliness)
7. The covered area outside a house where people sit in the evening.
I call it a porch, if it's attached to the house, a patio if it's not. (So my parents have a porch made out of wood that you step off the back door right onto it, and the patio is the cement thing off the side of the patio that is adjacent to it.) My apartment is on the second floor, and I have a small wood area without an awning (but directly below another similar area). I alternate between calling it a porch and a balcony.
That we call a deck.
Hadn't considered balcony and similar, never personally lived somewhere with one (although lived in a flat for several years).
#7 Aside from location (which
#15 Cockroaches can curl up?
#18 Car boot sales are usually for items that don't necessarily have a clear and straight-forward path from the factory, if you know what I mean.
But yeah, know what you mean—they used to be almost exclusively for normal people to get rid of stuff, but more and more dodgy dealers started to make a living through them.
I know, the idea of a cockroach curling up is amusing and frightening. I imagine a cockroach being attacked by something that makes it curl up like a blubbering little boy. But, what would be able to make a cockroach do that? I don't think I want to know.
And, I can just see the packaging for New and Improved Gravity! Now with 2 Gs for the price of 1!