Re: CHAT: Trans-oceanic word differences // was Education words in various English dialects

On Thu, 26 Oct 2000, Adrian Morgan wrote:

>John Cowan wrote, quoting myself:
>
>> > I mention this because it's another education word, but of course there
>> > are many trans-oceanic differences/overlaps, even among such seemingly
>> > innocent words as "shed", "lemonade" and countless others.
>>
>> What's the "shed" problem?  I know about "lemonade",
>
>In both countries, a shed is a storage place. However ...
>
>I'm told that in America, if you say "shed" without a qualifying
>adjective, people will assume you mean a garden shed - a little building,
>big enough for one person to stand up in, for storing garden implements.
>We have them too, but we usually require the qualifying adjective.
>
>In Australia, a shed is usually something much bigger. "Shed" is the word
>used for the buildings that house farming implements such as tractors.
We have them too. Often called 'sheds' as well. Can also be a largeish
workshop. I think 'shed' can also refer to large buildings where
locomotives are stored or worked on. Obviously a little more
specialised.

>Also, we rarely say "garage", generally preferring "car shed" (or just
>"shed" when the context is established). It's only a garage if it's
>physically attached to the house.
Ah, there we differ. I might call a 'garage' a shed if its primary use
is garden storage or as a workshop. Otherwise, it'd always be a
garage.

Padraic.