<div dir="ltr"><p align="center" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0in 0in 0pt;text-align:center"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">=====================================================<br> L O W L A N D S - L - 03 January 2014 - Volume 02<br>


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Language Codes: <a href="http://lowlands-l.net/codes.php" target="_blank">lowlands-l.net/codes.php</a><br><font color="#000000">=====================================================</font></font></p><font color="#000000" face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size:13px"></font><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0in 0in 0pt">


<font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0in 0in 0pt"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">From: </font><span name="Kevin Caldwell" style="font-size:13px">Kevin Caldwell</span><span style="white-space:nowrap"> </span><span style="white-space:nowrap"><<a href="mailto:kevin.caldwell1963@verizon.net" target="_blank">kevin.caldwell1963@verizon.net</a>></span><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br>


Subject: </font><span style="white-space:nowrap">LL-L "Literature" 2014.01.03 (01) [EN]</span><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br><br></font></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0in 0in 0pt">


<span style="color:rgb(31,73,125);font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:15px">In the case of “I could care less,” my suspicion is that it results from wanting to put heavy stress on “care.”</span><br></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0in 0in 0pt">


<span style="color:rgb(31,73,125);font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:15px"><br></span></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125);font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:15px">Kevin Caldwell</span><br style="color:rgb(31,73,125);font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:15px">

<span style="color:rgb(31,73,125);font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:15px">Laurel, MD</span><span style="color:rgb(31,73,125);font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:15px"><br></span></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0in 0in 0pt">

<span style="color:rgb(31,73,125);font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:15px"><br></span></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0in 0in 0pt"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">---------<br>


<br></font></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0in 0in 0pt"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">From: </font><span name="Stan Levinson" class="" style="font-size:13px">Stan Levinson</span><span style="white-space:nowrap"> </span><span class="" style="white-space:nowrap"><<a href="mailto:stlev99@yahoo.com">stlev99@yahoo.com</a>></span><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br>


Subject: </font><span style="white-space:nowrap">LL-L "Idiomatica" 2014.01.03 (01) [EN]</span><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0in 0in 0pt">

<span style="white-space:nowrap"><br></span></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span style="font-family:'times new roman','new york',times,serif;font-size:19px">Ron,</span><br style="font-family:'times new roman','new york',times,serif;font-size:19px">

<span style="font-family:'times new roman','new york',times,serif;font-size:19px">my non-scientific assessment is</span><br style="font-family:'times new roman','new york',times,serif;font-size:19px">

<span style="font-family:'times new roman','new york',times,serif;font-size:19px">1.  sounds Yiddish</span><br style="font-family:'times new roman','new york',times,serif;font-size:19px"><span style="font-family:'times new roman','new york',times,serif;font-size:19px">2.  seems similar to double-negatives, so common in non-standard speech.</span><br style="font-family:'times new roman','new york',times,serif;font-size:19px">

<span style="font-family:'times new roman','new york',times,serif;font-size:19px">3.  happy new year.</span><span style="white-space:nowrap"><br></span></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0in 0in 0pt">


<span style="white-space:nowrap"><br></span></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span style="white-space:nowrap">-----------</span></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0in 0in 0pt">

<span style="white-space:nowrap"><br></span></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0in 0in 0pt"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">From: </font><span name="Steven Hanson" class="" style="font-size:13px">Steven Hanson</span><span style="white-space:nowrap"> </span><span class="" style="white-space:nowrap"><<a href="mailto:ammurit@gmail.com">ammurit@gmail.com</a>></span><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br>

Subject: </font><span style="white-space:nowrap">LL-L "Idiomatica" 2014.01.03 (01) [EN]</span><span style="white-space:nowrap"><br></span></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0in 0in 0pt">

<span style="white-space:nowrap"><br></span></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0in 0in 0pt"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 12pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif">

<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">I dare say it’s something akin to a double or emphatic negative, which we’re taught in school not to use, but which is really quite common in practice.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 12pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif">
<span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Steven</span></p></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span style="white-space:nowrap"><font color="#741b47"><br></font></span></div>

<div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0in 0in 0pt"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex">

<font color="#741b47"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">From: R. F. Hahn <<a href="mailto:sassisch@yahoo.com" target="_blank">sassisch@yahoo.com</a>><br></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Subject: Idiomatica<br>

</span></font></blockquote><div> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex"><font color="#741b47"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Dear Lowlanders,<br>

</span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"> <br></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">One of the many things in which I am interested is changes of idiomatic impressions.<br>

</span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"> <br></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Here I will deal with two English expressions that I believe have undergone changes in the United States, and I wonder if they are found in other varieties of English as well.<br>

</span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"> <br></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">(1)<br></span><b><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">“I could care less.”<br>

</span></b><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">As far as I am concerned, this ought to be “I <u>couldn’t</u> care less” (= “I <u>could not</u> care less”), and this is what I heard and read in Britain and Australia.<br>

</span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">I believe that the originally intended meaning is something like “I care so little that I could not care any less” (= “I don’t care at all”).<br></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"> <br>

</span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">(2)<br></span><b><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">“I couldn’t barely breathe” </span></b><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">or<b> </b>e.g.<br>

<b>“She couldn’t hardly believe her eyes”</b><br>As far as I know, these ought to be “I could barely breathe” and “She could hardly believe her eyes” respectively.<br></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"> <br>

</span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Is there something about “could” and “could not” that causes confusion and leads to misinterpretation in such instances?<br></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif"> <br>

</span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Regards,<br></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Reinhard/Ron<br></span><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif">Seattle, USA</span></font></blockquote>

</div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0in 0in 0pt"><br></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0in 0in 0pt"><div style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span style="white-space:nowrap">----------</span></div>

<div style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span style="white-space:nowrap"><br></span></div><div style="margin:0in 0in 0pt"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">From: </font><span name="Mark Brooks" class="" style="font-size:13px">Mark Brooks</span><span style="white-space:nowrap"> </span><span class="" style="white-space:nowrap"><<a href="mailto:marcosarroyos@sbcglobal.net">marcosarroyos@sbcglobal.net</a>></span><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br>

Subject: </font><span style="white-space:nowrap">LL-L "Idiomatica" 2014.01.03 (01) [EN]</span></div></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0in 0in 0pt"><span style="white-space:nowrap"><br>

</span></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0in 0in 0pt"><div>Ron asked, "<span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">Is there something about “could” and “could not” that causes confusion and leads to in such instances?"</span></div>

<div><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">I've never heard the examples in 2, but I have heard 1. </span></div><div><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)"><br>

</span></div><div><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">Here's a guess on 1. I tried saying "I couldn't care less several times," and I discovered there are two ways I can discern that I pronounce it.</span></div>

<div><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">When I "pronounce" the [t], I do so with a glottal stop that follows a syllabic n. In that case it's clearer (to me anyway) that I'm mean could not. When I don't pronounce the [t], I just pronounce the syllabic n followed by <k> from care. In this second case, it doesn't seem as clear (audible) that I mean to negate the word "could."</span></div>

<div><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">Perhaps people are not pronouncing the phrase as in my second example! and hearers don't notice the negation.</span></div>

<div><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)"><br></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(136,136,136)">Mark Brooks</span><span style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)"><br></span></div></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;margin:0in 0in 0pt">

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