Comments on: Ground Floor

By: Graham

Graham — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:35:35 +0000

James D – I thought about this, but for the material of the floor I would always say “wooden floor” rather than “wood floor”.

By: John Cowan

John Cowan — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:59:33 +0000

My daughter is now 22 and has said floor for ground all her life. She has also lived in New York City all her life with only brief trips elsewhere, and perhaps the asphalt and concrete outside seems to her tolerably continuous with the hardwood and linoleum inside.

By: Harry Campbell

Harry Campbell — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:44:51 +0000

I agree. Forest floor seems like quite set phrase to me, perhaps aided by the alliteration, but wood or jungle floor or canopy doesn’t ring much of a bell. I suppose at a pinch you could have an outside floor if it was a carefully prepared surface for dancing or wrestling or something — what’s the English for dojo? Aha — a threshing floor!

By: JP Villanueva

JP Villanueva — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:22:40 +0000

I’ll corroborate you on all counts; “floor of the sea” and “floor of the forest” both feel clunky to me. I’m from Seattle, if that helps you find an isolect. I’ve noted some floor/ground mixing among ESL speakers, and must admit I’ve made mixed them myself on a few occasions.

By: James D

James D — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:04:13 +0000

I’d say it was idiolect for “floor of the forest”, although that one does have a distinctly purple color to it. As for “*wood floor”, I’d suggest that the problem is the other meaning of wood (i.e. made out of timber) making the sense too ambiguous.