Heard on The Judges: "conversate"

[Wilson Gray]

Over the past dekkid, this word has become so widely used by people of
every race, creed, color, national origin, and sexual orientation
that, at the very least, it ought to be, like _aks_, considered
standard non-standard English. Once upon a time, I considered this to
be a joking form, it being such an obvious back-formation from
"conversation." But, after hearing people use this in place of "say"
or even "discuss":

"No, your honor. I didn't have no chance to _conversate_ with the
defendant regarding the situation before taking him to court, because
he was hiding out somewhere and he also wouldn't answer his cell, your
honor."

in a situation in which they obviously consider themselves to be
speaking a higher class of English than they would be using, if they
were just hanging with the homies.

-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.
-----
-Mark Twain

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