come back vs. get back

W Brewer brewerwa at GMAIL.COM
Sat Nov 2 06:07:10 UTC 2013


I just got back. (Statement, Aspectus Punctualis.)
I just came back. (The Alibi Punctualis: Don't blame me, I wasn't even
here!)
I jist come back. (Jed Clampett.)


On Sat, Nov 2, 2013 at 7:47 AM, Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at ix.netcom.com>wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at IX.NETCOM.COM>
> Subject:      Re: come back vs. get back
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> In the context of just returning to the locale such as after traveling
> abroad, "I just came back" does not seem bad, though I still prefer the
> "get" version.
>
> It's when you go out on errands or something and then arrive at home or
> work that "I just came back" seems odd. BB
>
> On Nov 1, 2013, at 4:38 PM, Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at IX.NETCOM.COM> wrote:
>
> > I have a real problem with, "I just came back."
> >
> > I suppose "I've just come back" is fine, but it uses the perfect, which
> sounds unnecessary. Instead, it seems, "I just got back" is far preferable.
> >
> > In the present tense (I come/get back everyday at 3 o'clock), "get"
> seems better though I don't have a problem with the "come" version.
> >
> > For "When I come/get back," I don't notice much of a difference, though
> "get" seems preferable.
> >
> > It seems possible that the awkwardness of the perfect tense and the
> irregular conjugation of "come" is causing the problem, but "get" also has
> an irregular conjugation. Is there a real difference in the meanings of
> "come back" and "get back"? Is something else going on? (Is it all in my
> head?)
> >
> > Benjamin Barrett
> > Seattle, WA
> >
> > Learn Ainu! https://sites.google.com/site/aynuitak1/videos
>
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