Query for Southern(er)s, Southrons, or...

[Donald M Lance]

All these starred items could (as you imply in 3a) be possible if surrounded
by verbal context that would set them up as 'her' being equivalent to
'herself'.  Even so, the result is irony, particularly in 5b.  The syntactic
violation marks the irony even without suprasegmental or kinesic signaling.
The culture would call for deadpan kinesics for irony anyway.

DMLance

> (1)  *She fed her some chitlins.
>
> (2)a.  *She gave her a big raise.   (vs. pandialectally OK:  She gave
> herself a big raise.)
> b.  She got her a big raise.
>
> (3)a.  *I caught me a cold.   [or maybe OK if I was trying to catch a cold?]
> b.  I caught me a catfish.
>
> (4)a.  He shot him two squirrels.
> b.  *He (got drunk and) shot him two coonhounds (by mistake).
>
> (5)a.  He got him a case of beer.
> b.  *He got him a case of the clap.


> From: Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Reply-To: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Date: Wed, 19 Dec 2001 09:47:30 +0800
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Query for Southern(er)s, Southrons, or...
>
> ...anyone else in the relevant dialect:
>
> We've spent some sporadic time discussing the construction extant in
> parts of the South and Appalachia variously referred to as the
> "Personal Dative" (Christian 1991), "Southern American Double Object"
> (Dannenberg & Webelhuth 2000), dialectal or bound pronominal (e.g.
> Sroda & Mishoe 1995), or ethical dative (various sources).  This
> involves the appearance immediately after the main verb of an
> ordinary objective pronoun (rather than a reflexive) coreferring with
> the subject; generally a "real" object must also be present, and it
> must be quantified.  The verb in question is not normally a
> ditransitive.  Some sample cites (in each case, coreference between
> subject and "dative" is assumed):
>
> [musical exx.]
> I married me a pretty little wife
> I'm gonna buy me a shotgun, just as long as I am tall.
> I'm gonna catch me a freight train.
> Get you a copper kettle, get you a copper coil.  [underlying 2d person
> subject]
>
> [non-musical exx.]
> He's gonna buy him a pickup.
> I seen me a mermaid once.
> She wants her some chitlins.
> Papa needs him some new boots.
> What I like is goats.  I jus' like to look at me some goats.   [title
> of Sroda & Mishoe 1995]
>
> Now the query:
>
> On the assumption that the pronoun in question is not a true object
> of the verb but a marker implicating that the action or event in
> question represents success/good fortune for the subject, I've been
> wondering if the following judgments (from this non-native speaker)
> are on- or off-base.  (Feel free to replace these with clearer
> examples of your own.)
>
> (1)  *She fed her some chitlins.
>
> (2)a.  *She gave her a big raise.   (vs. pandialectally OK:  She gave
> herself a big raise.)
> b.  She got her a big raise.
>
> (3)a.  *I caught me a cold.   [or maybe OK if I was trying to catch a cold?]
> b.  I caught me a catfish.
>
> (4)a.  He shot him two squirrels.
> b.  *He (got drunk and) shot him two coonhounds (by mistake).
>
> (5)a.  He got him a case of beer.
> b.  *He got him a case of the clap.
>
> Thanks for your time & judgments.
>
> larry
>