Date: Wed, 13 Apr 1994 17:40:54 -0700
From: THOMAS L CLARK tlc[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]NEVADA.EDU
Subject: Re: ink pen
I checked with those who listen most to my speech and heard something
interesting. I sometimes ask for a pen, sometimes for a ball-point. But
to no one's recollection do I ask for a ball-point pen.
I recall using ball-point as an adolescent (from [AT SYMBOL GOES HERE] seventh grade), but
am pretty sure I never used "fountain" for fountain pen. After about the
sixth grade, we weren't allowed to have fountain pens (1947 or 48). WWII
had pretty much made the ball-point ubiquitous. This was in Montana.
Cheers,
tlc[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]nevada.edu