Query re ANYMORE

[Natalie Maynor]

Beverly Flanigan wrote:

> Yes, your last comment is interesting--in particular, why some
> Scots-Irish-App. usages went all the way west and others stayed in the more
> insular South Midland/Appal. area east of the Mississippi.  But--I talked
> to a linguist from Northern Ireland recently who said that Ulster Scots
> (=Scots Irish) does NOT have "positive anymore"; it only has the negative
> form.  I don't know the origin of "positive anymore"--anyone?

All I can offer is an anecdotal point:  I grew up hearing a mixture of
Southern Coastal and Southern Midland but never heard positive anymore
until my early adulthood in Florida.  It's interesting that I remember
that first encounter with it so well.  That was long before I got into
linguistics.  I remember clearly, though, thinking that that was a
bizarre use of "anymore."
   --Natalie Maynor (maynor at ra.msstate.edu)