Heard on The Judges: sE > to BE

Wilson Gray hwgray at GMAIL.COM
Wed Apr 9 03:24:35 UTC 2008


You ain't jus' a-bird-turdin'.

-Wilson

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/ = 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.  (‚You did well.)
>  Yo mamma.  (‚Your 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
>



--
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



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