negative "as well"

[Laurence Horn]

At 9:40 PM -0400 5/1/07, James C Stalker wrote:
>In this particular journalistic context, might the implied putative
>comparison motivate the use?  "That fact hasn't come out as well [as other
>facts (that might come out; that we expect to come out, that we know will
>come out)."  To me, "That fact hasn't come out either" implies two facts,
>hence end of story? But it could simply be that "either" is boring and "as
>well" is not.
>
>JCS

Well, there is the initial "as well" that we've discussed at some
point.  But I'm not sure that's relevant here, even if it provides
independent evidence for the non-boringness (to some) of "as well".

LH

>
>Arnold M. Zwicky writes:
>
>>On May 1, 2007, at 6:01 AM, Jon Lighter wrote:
>>
>>>"That fact hasn't come out as well [i.e., _either_] " --Gretchen
>>>Carlson, _Fox & Friends_.
>>>
>>>I've heard this construction a number of times, though all I can
>>>say about it for sure is that it's impossible for me.
>>
>>aren't there cites of similar examples with "too" in negative
>>contexts ("I haven't seen that too")?  that would just be an
>>extension of additive tags into negative contexts.
>>
>>>Does this sound normal to anyone ?  Do people avoid "either"
>>>because of doubts about its "correct" pronunciation ?
>>
>>no idea.  how could we tell?
>>
>>arnold
>>
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>>
>
>
>
>James C. Stalker
>Department of English
>Michigan State University
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org