Date:  Fri, 6 Oct 1995 06:05:48 -0400

From:  Seth Sklarey <crissiet[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]IPOF.FLA.NET>

Subject: Re: Another Lexical Item



>> Do any of you have any idea how common it is to use the word "sidewalk"

>> to refer to the strip of concrete that runs from the street to the front

>> door of a house? I had always assumed it was the standard term, but a

>> a recent discussion on Words-L got confusing for a few minutes because

>> I was using "sidewalk" to mean the sidewalk that comes to my door, while

>> other people thought that a "sidewalk" had to be parallel to the street.

>> When I asked what they called the strip of concrete that comes to the

>> front door, they said "walkway." I've never heard anybody say "walkway"

>> for what I call a "sidewalk." (I also use "sidewalk" for one that runs

>> parallel to the street, of course.)

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

>

>"sidewalk" is another thing that i didn't realize was an americanism

>til i moved here. the brit/sa english is "pavement"--which i have a

>hard time with, b/c they're often brick and, to me, a pavement is

>concrete.

>

>if i said "it's on the sidewalk" i'd mean the parallel one--if i

>meant the one coming up to the door, i'd be more specific "it's on

>the sidewalk to the house" or some such thing. i might use "walk"

>or something for the one coming to the house.

>

>lynne

>

>---------------------------------------------------------------------

>M. Lynne Murphy              104lyn[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]muse.arts.wits.ac.za

>Department of Linguistics            phone: 27(11)716-2340

>University of the Witwatersrand          fax: 27(11)716-4199

>Johannesburg 2050

>SOUTH AFRICA

>

>

How about boardwalk and broadwalk?