Date: Thu, 5 Oct 1995 05:05:34 -0500

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

Subject: Re: Lexical choice?



For me, it's 'do the laundry.' Out of curiosity, Natalie, what would you

say if you had sheets, towels etc to wash ,as well?



I would still say "wash clothes" -- unless I had some reason to specify

the specific nature of what I was washing. I might, for example, say

something like "Now that all my houseguests have finally left, I have

to wash a ton of sheets and towels." But I would normally just say "I

have to wash clothes." Sort of like I might specify for some reason that

I'm about to go get a Pepsi, although I normally would just say "a coke."

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



P.S. Am I the only one here who says "wash clothes" instead of "to the

laundry/wash/whatever"?? I have never thought of this as an idiolectal

habit. I thought it was "normal."