Needs specimen

[Roger Shuy]

After 40 years as a university professor, it is disheartening to learn
that my Ohio origin dialect, in which "needs washed" etc. was very common,
is now assigned to "lower class." Something needs corrected here I fear.
Roger Shuy

On Fri, 10 Mar 2000, Jane Clark wrote:

> I spend time in central Illinois although I no longer live there, and I have
> never heard this except by extremely low class people. You really shouldn't
> say it is common.
>
> >From: AAllan at AOL.COM
> >Reply-To: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> >To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> >Subject: Needs specimen
> >Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2000 14:55:11 EST
> >
> >In central Illinois, "needs cleaned" and "needs washed" are common, but
> >today
> >I came across a rare "needs" specimen in a student journalist's story, with
> >regard to the lighting for a spoken and signed production of "West Side
> >Story":
> >
> >"Besides the actors, there are interpreters and hand signing that need well
> >lighted."
> >
> >- Allan Metcalf
>
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