Date:  Wed, 13 Apr 1994 05:32:11 -0500

From:  Natalie Maynor <maynor[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]RA.MSSTATE.EDU>

Subject: Re: ink pen



>     No need to dispair totally. Synchrony can be separated from

> Diachrony. A few Missouri folk did wander up to the Dakotas, and though



Speaking of diachrony, I started to mention yesterday that "ink pen" seems

to be fading away. I remember hearing it fairly often as a child -- mainly

from other children in school. I don't think I hear it much anymore.



And I still think there may be a connection between "ink pen" and the

pin/pen homophony. I've thought that for many years. The kinds of

[pInz] are "safety pins," "straight pins," and "ink pens." It's just

that some of us let context make clear which kind of [pIn] we're talking

about.

  --Natalie (maynor[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ra.msstate.edu)