Re: Starting equipment

[" Ann" <annfranchi@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Duct tape becomes duck tape by a combination of two linguistic processes -
'ellision'  (the t on the end of duct slides over to combine with the t on
the begining of tape) and 'familiar-sounding' (not sure what the correct
name for this process is).

In the second process, the speaker is more familiar with the word 'duck'
than the word 'duct', and so substitutes the more familair word for the
unfamiliar one.  ('sparrow-grass' for 'asparagus' is the example most oftem
used.)

(My younger sister used the word 'cossack' to describe those small vending
boxes that stood by the side of the road - kiosks.  Same process.)

Ann  (frustrated linguist)