Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2017/04/07/dialect-couch-teaches-you-12-d.html
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Oh, dialect coach.
yeah, I was totally disappointed when I clicked through…
sofa, divan, settee, love seat, chesterfield, daybed, davenport, studio couch
I often look to couches to teach me many things.
Also…that has to be one of the most unflattering opening frame’s ever. man-alive someone correct that for her!!!
No, no. That’s a derelict couch. Totally different thing!
(D’ya think Mark will catch on and fix the headline? One hopes not…)
I love all of you magnificent people who have turned this into something far better than I had ever dreamed.
Divan, settee, chesterfield, and davenport are all very old-school.
Dialect, plus language variation across age groups.
I was expecting a show where someone sits on a couch and talks about dialects.
I wasn’t sure of what to expect before reading, but the actual story was less interesting than all of the things I imagined.
Dialects depend on how the lips move.
It’s a sleeping dictionary!
YouTube is b0rked for me right now, but I’ll watch later.
The phrase “transatlantic accent” is a big red flag for me, though. It’s an acquired, theatrical accent, and it really hasn’t been a thing since Cary Grant.
Chesterfield is not at all unusual up here, although it may be older (my) generation. It was definitely the normal thing to call a sofa when I was a young man, and it is still easily understood even now.
I’m just gonna sit here quietly and listen to the cushions.
I’m familiar with all those terms, but haven’t heard any of them in at least 20 years. So, if someone mentions a settee, divan, chesterfield, or davenport, I’ll understand what they’re saying, but it’s not a word I would use out of all the words available to me. Someone Millennial or younger wouldn’t have a clue.
I’m convinced I would have been more into sports if we had had Basketball couches. Still. Love the accents.
Difference in dialects, I think. I don’t lose younger people hereabouts if I use the term, although they’re not so likely to use it themselves.