Another think, again

[Geoff Nathan]

My mother, who was born in London, England in 1924, used exactly the
same words.  Given the distance in geography and ethnicity a comparative
linguist would be compelled to push the proto-form rather further back.

Geoff

Wilson wrote:

> Date:    Wed, 21 May 2008 14:34:03 -0400
> From:    Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject: Re: "thing/think" [was: on the eggcorn beat]
>
> "If you think that, then you have another think coming!" is one of my
> mother's favorite clichés, when she's pitching a bitch. I've heard it
> under that circumstance all of my life and I hate it hearing it, for
> that reason. Since she was born in 1913, my guess is that, if "think"
> isn't original, then it's at least a relatively old reanalysis.
> Besides, why couldn't a person use "think" as a noun, if he wanted to?
> We are discussing English, after all.
>
> OTOH, FWIW, I've never heard my mother or anyone else say, "If you
> thing that, then you have another thing coming!"
>

--
Geoffrey S. Nathan <geoffnathan at wayne.edu>

Faculty Liaison, Computing and Information Technology,
and Associate Professor of English, Linguistics Program
Phone Numbers (313) 577-1259 or (313) 577-8621
Wayne State University
Detroit, MI, 48202

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