19.542, Qs: 'If/Then' in English Dialects

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Fri Feb 15 23:35:34 UTC 2008


LINGUIST List: Vol-19-542. Fri Feb 15 2008. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 19.542, Qs: 'If/Then' in English Dialects

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1)
Date: 15-Feb-2008
From: William Davis < actorsf at aol.com >
Subject: 'If/Then' in English Dialects

 

	
-------------------------Message 1 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2008 18:34:11
From: William Davis [actorsf at aol.com]
Subject: 'If/Then' in English Dialects
E-mail this message to a friend:
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I have a question about "if/then" clauses in early regional dialects of English (American or British).  I'm curious to know where and if a dialect or regionalism might have used an "if/and" combination to mean the same thing as "if/then" (i.e., "if you will go, and I will go" meaning "if you will go, then I will go." Or perhaps more biblical sounding things like, "If he commands the water to be stone, and it will be stone" meaning, "if he commands the water to be stone, then it will be stone."). 

I know that "and" can mean "then, therefore," but I'm specifically looking for examples I could cite of "if/and" clauses (particularly in northeast America).  
Any suggestions?  
Thanks. 

Linguistic Field(s): Semantics
                     Sociolinguistics

Subject Language(s): English (eng)





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