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<big><font color="#000099">Lynne Murphy's characterization of "innit"
in the UK as<big> </big></font><font color="#000099">'youth-y' and
'greater London-y' is interesting. I have heard "inni" in alternation
with "aini" and "enni" in Gullah. Is this some sort of
recycling/"revaluation" of old materials?<br>
<br>
Sali.<br>
</font></big><br>
Lynne Murphy wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid2385503BF1B0293718857BF7@%5B192.168.1.2%5D"
type="cite">'Is it' is definitely South African. It's typically said
with a slightly
<br>
downward intonation, and without any indication that there are two
words
<br>
there. (I.e. it's not 'is IT?', it's 'izzit'.) In the UK, one hears
<br>
"innit" (i.e. 'isn't it', but not written/pronounced that way) used in
a
<br>
similar way, but that is marked as 'youth-y' and 'greater London-y'.
(No
<br>
such marking on the South African version.) Americans may know 'innit'
from
<br>
the Ali G character.
<br>
<br>
Lynne
<br>
<br>
Dr M Lynne Murphy
<br>
Senior Lecturer and Head of Department
<br>
Linguistics and English Language
<br>
Arts B135
<br>
University of Sussex
<br>
Brighton BN1 9QN
<br>
<br>
phone: +44-(0)1273-678844
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com">http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com</a>
<br>
<br>
--On Saturday, May 12, 2007 11:39 pm -0400 Wilson Gray
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:hwgray@GMAIL.COM"><hwgray@GMAIL.COM></a>
<br>
wrote:
<br>
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">I've heard it in Britspeak in a restricted
set of dialogues like the
<br>
following:
<br>
<br>
Why, John! It's a pleasure to see you, again!
<br>
<br>
Not at all, dear fellow! My pleasure! (It's) Wilson Gray, is it?
<br>
<br>
-Wilson
<br>
<br>
On 5/12/07, Joel S. Berson <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:Berson@att.net"><Berson@att.net></a> wrote:
<br>
<blockquote type="cite">---------------------- Information from the
mail header
<br>
----------------------- Sender: American Dialect Society
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:ADS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU"><ADS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU></a> Poster: "Joel S. Berson"
<a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:Berson@ATT.NET"><Berson@ATT.NET></a>
<br>
Subject: Re: "Is it" appended to questions
<br>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
<br>
-------
<br>
<br>
I meant an "is it" appended to questions.
<br>
<br>
In my instance, the writer definitely knew that the person went to
<br>
Harvard. I understand the writer's "is it" as reiterating the
<br>
question, as in "You're embarrassed because ...? Is that it?"
<br>
<br>
Joel
<br>
<br>
At 5/12/2007 12:20 PM, you wrote:
<br>
> > A friend wrote me in email
<br>
> >
<br>
> >> I hadn't heard anything about the story. However, I
assume that you
<br>
> >> sympathize with him even though you may be embarrassed
that he lives
<br>
> >> in Arlington and went to Harvard, is it?
<br>
> >
<br>
> > What regions/dialects is such an "is it" regional to? Welsh,
for
<br>
> > one?
<br>
> >
<br>
> > Joel
<br>
> > ~~~~~~~~~
<br>
> Without being quite sure what you mean by "_such_ an 'is it' ",
my
<br>
> guess in this case is that the "is it" only applies to Harvard:
that
<br>
> the writer isn't entirely certain that it mightn't be BU or MIT.
<br>
> AM
<br>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
<br>
> Cut & Run? ........... You bet!
<br>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
<br>
>
<br>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
<br>
> The American Dialect Society - <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.americandialect.org">http://www.americandialect.org</a>
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<br>
<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
<br>
--
<br>
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
<br>
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
<br>
-----
<br>
-Sam'l Clemens
<br>
------
<br>
The tongue has no bones, yet it breaks bones.
<br>
<br>
Rumanian proverb
<br>
</blockquote>
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</blockquote>
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