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From: Chris Croughton <chris@keristor.net>
Newsgroups: alt.languages.english
Subject: Re: mobile phone numbers and land lines
Date: Mon, 16 May 2005 11:16:31 +0100
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Message-ID: <slrnd8gsnv.sdb.chris@ccserver.keris.net>
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On Sun, 15 May 2005 18:46:11 GMT, Miss Elaine Eos
<Misc@*your-shoes*PlayNaked.com> wrote:
> In article <slrnd89hkr.l11.chris@ccserver.keris.net>,
> Chris Croughton <chris@keristor.net> wrote:
>
>> On 13 May 2005 06:31:19 -0700, credoquaabsurdum
>> <credoquaabsurdum@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>> > Chris Croughton wrote:
>> >
>> >> Most people in the UK that I know use "land line" (or "landline").
>> >> That seems to be a recent (last few years) take-up of the term by
>> >> ordinary people, it was in common military and technical usage a
>> >> decade or so ago but at that time it seemed to be regarded as
>> >> 'jargon'.
>
> Pop-media use (such as in the movie _The Matrix_) has brought this into
> common usage, I think.
Possibly. Or a rise in the number of geeks <g>.
>> > Exactly. "Land line/landline" is what I told my learner, but is sounds
>> > a lot like "Charlie Whiskey Foxtrot, do we need to get a land line
>> > into the Waco compound, over?"
>>
>> And what's the opposite, a skyline or sealine? Or even an airline?
>
> "Airwave." "On the line" works in both cases, so the distinction is
> just whether one is anchored by a cord, anchored by a short-range
> cordless phone (is that "mobile" or "land line"? ;), or fully mobile (as
> with a cell.
I regard a 'cordless' phone as a 'landline', because that's what the
actual connection is (someone can't call you specifically on your
cordless phone, they call your landline and that talks to the handset
whether it is wired or not).
> FWIW, I call a cordless phone "land line" (although I might adopt
> "stationary" as the opposite of "mobile" -- I like that! :), because the
> communication to the other person isn't cordless -- it's just that MY
> communication with the PHONE SET (base unit) is cordless. But that's
> like having a remote control for my TV -- it doesn't make the TV
> "mobile", it just gives me some flexibility in my interactions with the
> TV.
That's a good analogy. In fact it's so accurate that it may not be an
analogy at all...
>> >> "Call me on my mobile" (but not 'at') is common UK usage, the
>
> In the US, "call me *ON* my mobile" (or "...cell"), but "call me *AT*
> 123-456-7890". Alternately, "call me at home" or "call me at my work
> number"
Same in the UK (although 'on' is sometimes used for the number as well).
> People also tend to mix and match "voicemail" and "message" -- saying
> "leave me a voicemail at home" or "leave a message on my answering
> machine at work", even though the underlying technologies may actually
> be the reverse of that.
Indeed. I use the British Telecom '1571' service, which is free
voicemail done at the exchange (so it works with a busy line as well as
for no answer), I usually refer to it as an "answering service".
> "Call me on my stationary" works, unless the listener mistakes
> "stationery", which could lead them to believe you're requesting a
> written response in an awkward way.
Heh. Reminds me of a joke:
Male customer in a newsagent's asks the girl serving: "Do you keep
stationery?" Mishearing the word, the girl being honest replies
"Well, I do wriggle a bit!"
> "Call me on my regular" makes me immediately think "I'm glad he didn't
> ask me to call him on his irregular!"
Heh. I like plays on words. One I think of is with food, several
places offer a dish called "Fish Terrine". My automatic reaction is
"I'm glad it isn't contra-terrene!" (an outdated (mainly British) term
for anti-matter)...
(Doctors (in the UK at least) seem to have a common question "Do you
have any trouble passing stools?" My automatic response is "Only in a
bar, I tend to sit on them and order another pint...")
Chris C
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