I am what I am ....

[Laurence Horn]

At 8:00 PM -0500 4/22/10, Dennis Baron wrote:
>I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together.

Goo goo gajoo.

LH, noting that we've moved away from tautologies, and toward yellow
matter custard...

>____________________
>Dennis Baron
>Professor of English and Linguistics
>Department of English
>University of Illinois
>608 S. Wright St.
>Urbana, IL 61801
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>fax: 217-333-4321
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>On Apr 22, 2010, at 7:55 PM, Laurence Horn 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: I am what I am ....
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>At 7:43 PM -0500 4/22/10, Dennis Baron wrote:
>>>dare I say the much loathed, "it is what it is"?
>>
>>So we have the 1st person and 3rd person versions.  The best I can
>>think of for the 2d person isn't quite as tautologous: either "You
>>are what you eat" or (gratia Bill Parcells, in honor of NFL draft
>>day) "You are what your record says you are".
>>
>>LH
>>
>>>
>>>____________________
>>>Dennis Baron
>>>Professor of English and Linguistics
>>>Department of English
>>>University of Illinois
>>>608 S. Wright St.
>>>Urbana, IL 61801
>>>
>>>office: 217-244-0568
>>>fax: 217-333-4321
>>>
>>>http://www.illinois.edu/goto/debaron
>>>
>>>read the Web of Language:
>>>http://www.illinois.edu/goto/weboflanguage
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>On Apr 22, 2010, at 6:59 PM, David Barnhart wrote:
>>>
>>>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
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>>>>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>>Poster:       David Barnhart <dbarnhart at HIGHLANDS.COM>
>>>>Subject:      I am what I am ....
>>>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>
>>>>Is there a technical term for such silly phrases?  Of course, the
>>>>end of the
>>>>statement is "a yam."
>>>>
>>>>What similar ones are there?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>David
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Barnhart at highlands.com
>>>>
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