Talk:gawky

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Latest comment: 2 years ago by Davecw in topic Informal
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Gawky is used in Appalachia on occasions when gauche could be used. This spelling, which reflects the Appalachian pronunciation, may result from a mispronunciation of gauche, and therefore may be considered an alternate spelling, not a separate word. — This unsigned comment was added by Wayne Roberson, Austin, Texas (talkcontribs) at 18:37, 10 April 2008.

Yes, it is possible that the word developed separately in Appalachia, but it has been in use in the UK since 1759 (OED), so I think it much more likely that it was taken there. Perhaps it really has two separate etymologies converging on the same word? Dbfirs 17:19, 27 January 2010 (UTC)Reply

Informal

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Is this informal? Cambridge lists it as informal, but I don't have access to other dictionaries to compare. Davecw (talk) 15:00, 28 June 2022 (UTC)Reply