[Ads-l] on accident

[Gordon, Matthew J.]

Could you clarify what you mean by “borrowing from children’s language”? Are you suggesting a process of more or less conscious imitation/repetition by adults of a form that was analogically created by L1 learners?

Matt Gordon



On 6/17/16, 12:10 PM, "American Dialect Society on behalf of Laurence Horn" <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU on behalf of laurence.horn at YALE.EDU> wrote:

>> On Jun 17, 2016, at 12:10 PM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>> 
>> Typed sign under doorknob in doctor's office:
>> 
>> "Be careful of doorknob button. Please do not lock door on accident."
>> 
>> Clearly infl. by "on purpose."
>> 
>> JL
>> 
>> -- 
>
>I think we've had threads about "on accident" in the past.  It's certainly been around for decades and speculated (at least by me) to be a borrowing from children's language.  
>
>LH
>
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>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org