approximative VP adverbials

[dumasb]

arnold zwicky wrote:
[snip]
>appalachian varieties presumably lack an aspectual condition on
>(approximative adverbial) "about" that my variety has.  does anyone
>know of any discussion of these facts?  is there a characterization of
>this aspectual condition that would predict that it's lifted when
>"about" is modified by "just", or is this just a arbitrary fact about
>my variety?

I can't answer your question, but I suggest that the the Ap/Ozark approximator
"like to" seems to have identical occurrence patterns - e.g.,"I like to
[liketa] died," meaning approximately "I was embarrassed." I have also heard
"I just like to died."

However, "like to" is also used to mean "nearly" (see CGEL 8.112 n.).

Bethany