Heard on The Judges: sE > to BE

Dennis Preston preston at MSU.EDU
Tue Apr 8 18:06:17 UTC 2008


Of course. How could I have forgetted it (roots and all)?

dInIs

>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>Subject:      Re: Heard on The Judges: sE > to BE
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>At 7:33 PM +0200 4/8/08, Dennis Preston wrote:
>>Interesting when a specific nonstandard is felt to be required (as it
>>often is from AAVE). Are there other regional nonstandards required
>>in such phrases. (I guess I don't consider any cases of r-lessness as
>>nonstandard so don't give me no Pahk yuh cah in Hahvahd Yahd stuff.
>>
>>dInIs
>
>How bout "Y'all come back, ya hear?"
>(vs. the less likely "(You) come back, do you hear?")
>
>LH
>
>>
>>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>-----------------------
>>>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>Poster:       David Bergdahl <dlbrgdhl at GMAIL.COM>
>>>Subject:      Re: Heard on The Judges: sE > to BE
>>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>>I always flinch when "You pays your money you takes your choice" isn't
>>>"cherse"--it's not as though this is SAE we're talkin'!!!
>>>-db
>>>
>>>On Tue, Apr 8, 2008 at 11:29 AM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
>>>wrote:
>>>
>>>>   ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>>   -----------------------
>>>>   Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>>   Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>>>>   Subject:      Re: Heard on The Judges: sE > to BE
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------=
>>>------
>>>>
>>>>   At 5:02 PM +0200 4/8/08, Dennis Preston wrote:
>>>>   >Almost certainly the case, and recall that I continue to be
>>>>   >interested in people providing me with even further examples of
>>>>   >obligatory nonstandards.
>>>>   >
>>>>   >E.g.,
>>>>   >
>>>>   >What do you think of (or "How bout") them (never "those") apples.
>>>>   >
>>>>   >You the ("da") man (never "You are the man").
>>>>   >
>>>>   >/Si:It/ for metaphoric uses, but never for feces. (/SIt/ is OK for both
>>>>   uses.)
>>>>   >(/S/ =3D palatal sibilant)
>>>>   >
>>>>   >You can't go to "Dunking Donuts," even if you claim to never "drop your
>>>>   g's."
>>>>   >
>>>>   >Are there any obligatory "ain'ts"? Others?
>>>>   >
>>>>   >dInIs
>>>>
>>>>   It don't (*doesn't) mean a thing if it ain't (*hasn't) got that swing.
>>>>   It don't (*doesn't) make no (*any) never mind.
>>>>   Dance with the one that brung (*brought) you
>>>>   If it ain't broke (*If it's not broken), don't fix it.
>>>>   S/he got (*has) game.
>>>>   If momma ain't (*isn't) happy, ain't nobody (*nobody is) happy.
>>>>   It ain't (*isn't) me, babe.
>>>>   Long time no see.  (* ???)
>>>>   No can (*Cannot) do.
>>>>   Say it ain't (??it's not) so.
>>>>   That ain't (?That's not) gonna (*going to) cut it.
>>>>   Badges?  We don't need no (*any) stinkin (?stinking) badges.
>>>>      [Sorry, Fred; I know it's a misquote.]
>>>>   You pays (*pay) your money you takes (*take) your choice.
>>>>   You ain't (??You're not) just whistling Dixie.
>>>>   It ain't (??It's not) the meat, it's the motion.
>>>>   That ain't (?*That's not) hay.
>>>>   You done good.  (=82You did well.)
>>>>   Yo mamma.  (=82Your mother.)
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>   (YMMV)
>>>>   LH
>>>>
>>>>   >
>>>>   >
>>>>   >
>>>>   >
>>>>   >
>>>>   >
>>>>   >
>>>>   >>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>>   >>-----------------------
>>>>   >>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>>   >>Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
>>>>   >>Subject:      Heard on The Judges: sE > to BE
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>>-----------------------------------------------------------------------=
>>>--------
>>>>   >>
>>>>   >>Some may recall that I once claimed that, regardless of a speaker's
>>>>   >>usual register, he tends to move it toward the working-class norm,
>  >>>  >>when using slang or slang-like expressions.
>>>>   >>
>>>>   >>Middle-class, black, male speaker complaining about his cheating wife:
>>>>   >>
>>>>   >>She was unbelievable, your honor! She _wadn_ cool at at all. She would
>>>>   >>call me at work to find out when I was coming home, so that she would
>>>>   >>know how much time she had to do her _thing [TaeIN]_!"
>>>>   >>
>>>>   >>-Wilson
>>>>   >>--
>>>>   >>All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
>>>>   >>come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
>>>>   >>-----
>>>>   >>  -Sam'l Clemens
>>>>   >>
>>>>   >>------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>   >>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
>>>>
>>>>   ------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>   The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>>>
>>>
>>>------------------------------------------------------------
>>>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
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>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

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



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