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I'd use running shoes or sneakers interchangeably in English. I wouldn't say tennis shoes unless I suppose I was referring to shoes that I knew would be worn specifically for tennis.
I know the term runners but wouldn't use that. To me it's like saying appies for appetizers and mains for main courses. I don't talk like that.
The difference is that here in Manitoba, when I was growing up, there was no alternative term for runners. It wasn't understood to be short for anything. There were runners and then there were shoes, which included any shoe that wasn't a runner.
I also dislike the abbreviations you mentioned, not to mention "veg" or "veggies." I don't speak that way either. But "runners" wasn't short for anything that people of my generation were aware of. I don't know how it was elsewhere.
my kids all raised in ON all use the term runners, maybe they learned that from their Sask born mother. I will often refer to them as pumps just to confuse the issue.
Down here, pumps can mean women's high heel shoes but don't ask me why.
The difference is that here in Manitoba, when I was growing up, there was no alternative term for runners. It wasn't understood to be short for anything. There were runners and then there were shoes, which included any shoe that wasn't a runner.
I also dislike the abbreviations you mentioned, not to mention "veg" or "veggies." I don't speak that way either. But "runners" wasn't short for anything that people of my generation were aware of. I don't know how it was elsewhere.
The difference is that here in Manitoba, when I was growing up, there was no alternative term for runners. It wasn't understood to be short for anything. There were runners and then there were shoes, which included any shoe that wasn't a runner.
I also dislike the abbreviations you mentioned, not to mention "veg" or "veggies." I don't speak that way either. But "runners" wasn't short for anything that people of my generation were aware of. I don't know how it was elsewhere.
When I was a youngster everyone here called them running shoes and eventually running shoes devolved into just runners. Separate runners were part of the gym strip that we had to have for the phys ed and track classes in school, so we all had runners or other footwear for everyday wear at home and at school and runners that were strictly part of gym strip for phys ed.
Runners are sneakers to me. Not until I did one of those internet quizzes a few years ago did I learn that sneakers is a term generally limited to the northeastern USA.
Some people call them tennis shoes, even the ones not for tennis.
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