Pronoun [was Finally!]

Jonathan Lighter wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM
Thu Sep 27 18:08:27 UTC 2007


Fats Domino?

  JL

Dennis Preston <preston at MSU.EDU> wrote:
  ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Dennis Preston

Subject: Re: Pronoun [was Finally!]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Edmund Wilson?

>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender: American Dialect Society
>Poster: Jonathan Lighter
>Subject: Re: Pronoun [was Finally!]
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Re Creoles: I agree. I look forward to some elucidation of this. It
>may imply that the English practice underlies them (except
>coincidently), which would suggest that the bluff-talking sailors
>and traders of an earlier age used the forms then as often as we'd
>expect them to now.
>
> But to quote Wilson quoting Waller, "One never knows, do one?"
>
> (Fats, I think: not Edmund.)
>
> JL
>
>Laurence Horn wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender: American Dialect Society
>Poster: Laurence Horn
>Subject: Re: Pronoun [was Finally!]
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>At 9:01 AM -0400 9/27/07, Benjamin Zimmer wrote:
>>On 9/26/07, Laurence Horn wrote:
>>>
>>> At 6:04 PM -0700 9/26/07, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>>> >Am disappointed to see that the authors of that article did not find
>>> >the historical perspective in HDAS of any use or interest.
>>>
>>> ...and a very rich entry, or set of entries, it is. I was just
>>> thinking of "Don't let your mouth write a check your ass can't cash",
>>> and that's in there with a couple of hits, under the 'ability and
>>> determination' entry. Wilson's friend's greeting ("How's your ass?")
>>> makes an appearance too, from 1960 ("usu. considered vulgar"--like
>>> virtually every other entry for _ass_, curiously enough!).
>>
>>HDAS also has excellent coverage of a related usage, "(one's) balls":
>>
>>-----
>>ball, n.
>>6. pl. [cf. identical use of ASS] one's body, person, or self --
>>sometimes functions as an intensifier of pronouns; one's life or
>>wel-being, "hide," "skin," "neck," -- usu. considred vulgar. [Used
>>only by men.]
>>-----
>>
>>In some parts of the country, at least, "How's your balls?" or "How's
>>your nuts?" would be the equivalent of the "How's your ass?" greeting
>>Wilson mentioned. But I gather that "X's balls/nuts" isn't nearly as
>>pronominally flexible as "X's ass".
>>
>Right, even controlling for the role of sex of referent. I don't
>think "Get your balls some help" would be construed as a suggestion
>to seek out a therapist--at least not a psychotherapist.
>
>The metonymic use of "X's ass" and similar body parts in Creole
>languages, as mentioned by dInIs, does appear to be relevant to the
>English construction.
>
>LH
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>
>
>---------------------------------
>Don't let your dream ride pass you by. Make it a reality with Yahoo! Autos.
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org


--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor
Department of English
Morrill Hall 15-C
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48864 USA

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



---------------------------------
Pinpoint customers who are looking for what you sell.

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



More information about the Ads-l mailing list