query: extra IS

[Barbara Need]

Well, anecdotally, Eric Hamp is a regular user of is is.

Barbara Need
UChicago--Linguistics

>one of my grad students has been looking into "extra IS" sentences,
>like
>  The problem is is that we have to leave at 10.
>
>bolinger 1986 is the only source we have on the phenomenon; does
>anyone know anything else?
>
>bolinger's citations have only one from a written source - a letter
>by charles darwin! - and my student hasn't found any further written
>examples of IS/WAS plus IS (except where ordinary syntax calls for
>it, as in
>   What the problem is is that we have to leave at 10.)
>has anyone come across other written examples?
>
>arnold (zwicky at csli.stanford.edu)