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Discussion Groups / English Usage / June 2010potsherd
Did they teach you the word potsherd in high school, or did you read the word in museums, regarding broken things found at excavations of ancient man? For decades my brother and I both pronounced the word pots herd, until one day I looked at it and realized it was pot sherd.  SignaturePosters should say where they live, and for which area they are asking questions. I was born and then lived in Western Pa. 10 years Indianapolis 7 years Chicago 6 years Brooklyn, NY 12 years Baltimore 26 years >Did they teach you the word potsherd in high school, or did you read >the word in museums, regarding broken things found at excavations of >ancient man? > >For decades my brother and I both pronounced the word pots herd, >until one day I looked at it and realized it was pot sherd. I didn't learn the word at school. I only ever saw it in books and I don't think I have ever needed to say it. It took me some years to realise that it was "pot-sherd". Part of the reason for my slowness in catching-on was that I knew the word "shard" but didn't realise that "sherd" was an alternative spelling. SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.english.usage) On Jun 22, 11:20 am, "Peter Duncanson (BrE)" <m...@peterduncanson.net> wrote: > >Did they teach you the word potsherd in high school, or did you read > >the word in museums, regarding broken things found at excavations of [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > Peter Duncanson, UK > (in alt.english.usage) When I met "potsherd" (or, sometimes, "potshard") in books, mostly archaeological popularizations, sometimes novels, I already knew the word "shard." On Jun 22, 11:20 am, "Peter Duncanson (BrE)" <m...@peterduncanson.net> wrote: > >Did they teach you the word potsherd in high school, or did you read > >the word in museums, regarding broken things found at excavations of [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > Peter Duncanson, UK > (in alt.english.usage) When I met "potsherd" (or, sometimes, "potshard") in books, mostly archaeological popularizations, sometimes novels, I already knew the word "shard." ======================================================================== That is my experience too. I encountered in reading about Schlieman excavating Troy and Mycene and thought pot sherd. >On Jun 22, 11:20 am, "Peter Duncanson (BrE)" <m...@peterduncanson.net> >wrote: [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] >I encountered in reading about Schlieman excavating Troy and Mycene and >thought pot sherd. No, no. It's a herd of pots. You've heard of cows. This is is a herd of pots. SignaturePosters should say where they live, and for which area they are asking questions. I was born and then lived in Western Pa. 10 years Indianapolis 7 years Chicago 6 years Brooklyn, NY 12 years Baltimore 26 years >>On Jun 22, 11:20 am, "Peter Duncanson (BrE)" <m...@peterduncanson.net> >>wrote: [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > No, no. It's a herd of pots. You've heard of cows. This is is a herd > of pots. That would be Cowherd there is a rock band Portishead. I thought it was Porti shead but it's portis head On 27 Jun 2010, Ray OHara wrote -snip- > there is a rock band Portishead. I thought it was Porti shead but it's > portis head I don't think that misunderstanding arises too often in England, as it's also the name of a town; "head" is a fairly common place-name suffix. SignatureCheers, Harvey CanEng and BrEng, indiscriminately mixed >>>On Jun 22, 11:20 am, "Peter Duncanson (BrE)" <m...@peterduncanson.net> >>>wrote: [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] >> No, no. It's a herd of pots. You've heard of cows. This is is a herd >> of pots. John's right. It's a herder of pots. I think there is also a breed of dog, the Greek Potsherd. > That would be Cowherd There's a guy in Baltimore, Kevin Cowherd. Only time I've ever heard the name, or the word. >there is a rock band Portishead. I thought it was Porti shead but it's >portis head So HVS, what does head mean as a place name suffix. The mouth of a river? SignaturePosters should say where they live, and for which area they are asking questions. I was born and then lived in Western Pa. 10 years Indianapolis 7 years Chicago 6 years Brooklyn, NY 12 years Baltimore 26 years >>>>On Jun 22, 11:20 am, "Peter Duncanson (BrE)" <m...@peterduncanson.net> >>>>wrote: [quoted text clipped - 41 lines] >So HVS, what does head mean as a place name suffix. The mouth of a >river? In the case of Portishead, the place after which the band is named: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portishead#History The name Portishead derives from the "port at the head of the river". It has been called Portshead and Portschute at times in its history and Portesheve in the Domesday Book, and was locally known as Posset. There seem to be two possibilites for Birkenhead (opposite Liverpool to which it is linked by the ferry across the Mersey), either the head of a river or a headland: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birkenhead#History The name Birkenhead is possibly from the Old English bircen meaning birch tree, of which many once grew on the headland which jutted into the river at Woodside, however some believe the name to have grown from the River Birket which empties into the docklands. SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.english.usage) >>>>>On Jun 22, 11:20 am, "Peter Duncanson (BrE)" <m...@peterduncanson.net> >>>>>wrote: [quoted text clipped - 59 lines] > into the river at Woodside, however some believe the name to have > grown from the River Birket which empties into the docklands. Thanks. SignaturePosters should say where they live, and for which area they are asking questions. I was born and then lived in Western Pa. 10 years Indianapolis 7 years Chicago 6 years Brooklyn, NY 12 years Baltimore 26 years > No, no. It's a herd of pots. You've heard of cows. This is is a herd > of pots. A cowherd is a person who herds cows. A shepherd is a person who herds sheep. It follows that a potsherd is... SignatureJohn Varela On 22 Jun 2010, mm wrote > Did they teach you the word potsherd in high school, or did you read > the word in museums, regarding broken things found at excavations of > ancient man? No idea, but I've known the word -- and its proper pronunciation -- long enough to have forgotten when I learned it. > For decades my brother and I both pronounced the word pots herd, > until one day I looked at it and realized it was pot sherd. I can't recall ever pronouncing it out loud as "pots-herd" -- but whenever I see it in written form, that's how my mind's ear hears it. SignatureCheers, Harvey CanEng and BrEng, indiscriminately mixed >On 22 Jun 2010, mm wrote > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >I can't recall ever pronouncing it out loud as "pots-herd" -- but whenever I >see it in written form, that's how my mind's ear hears it. I only mmean in my mind also. I don't think I've ever had a discussion about potsherds except when I asked my brother, who is older, how he pronounced it (probably only in his mind). That's when I learned he had it wrong for decades also. SignaturePosters should say where they live, and for which area they are asking questions. I was born and then lived in Western Pa. 10 years Indianapolis 7 years Chicago 6 years Brooklyn, NY 12 years Baltimore 26 years > On 22 Jun 2010, mm wrote > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > long > enough to have forgotten when I learned it. Ditto, but why archaeologists find sherds and the rest of us find shards is beyond me. SignatureJohn Varela > Did they teach you the word potsherd in high school, or did you read > the word in museums, regarding broken things found at excavations of > ancient man? > > For decades my brother and I both pronounced the word pots herd, > until one day I looked at it and realized it was pot sherd. I don't recall ever seeing or hearing it before, but first read it as "pots herd", although I couldn't figure out how one would herd pots. But when I read the part about what it meant I realized that I had gotten the pronunciation wrong on my first try. Your second paragraph confirmed that. Bill in Kentucky > Did they teach you the word potsherd in high school, or did you read > the word in museums, regarding broken things found at excavations of > ancient man? > > For decades my brother and I both pronounced the word pots herd, > until one day I looked at it and realized it was pot sherd. I always thought this was a most ridiculous word. For a start, it conjurs up an image of some old bedouin driving pots along a desert road. Also, why not just say shards? We all know what they are. >> Did they teach you the word potsherd in high school, or did you read >> the word in museums, regarding broken things found at excavations of [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >For a start, it conjurs up an image of some old bedouin driving pots >along a desert road. That's right. Complete with a chuck wagon, and cowboy Bedouin to keep stragglers from getting away, to take the pots to the railhead, to be shippeed to the big city for slaughter. Roll 'em, roll 'em, roll 'em. Keep them dogies rollin'. Rawhide. Get 'em up, move 'em out. Get 'em up, move 'em out, Rawhide! "Rawhide", or "Dried clay" as the case may be. >Also, why not just say shards? We all know what they are. SignaturePosters should say where they live, and for which area they are asking questions. I was born and then lived in Western Pa. 10 years Indianapolis 7 years Chicago 6 years Brooklyn, NY 12 years Baltimore 26 years |
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