dialect in novels

[Dennis R. Preston]

>What's nerve-grating about a pretty good rule (although there are
>many exceptions): Irregulars are done away with in metaphoric usage.
>Goose (application of thumb to backside) has plural gooses;
>preterite of fly out (baseball) is "flied out" (not "flew out"). Snd
>so on. Chill.

dInIs

PS: Exception - computer mice (although mouses was once used)





>Speaking of "nerve-grating", why is the Toronto hockey club known as the
>"Maple Leafs" and not the "Maple Leaves"?
>
>Beverly Flanigan wrote:
>>
>>  At 10:13 AM 2/25/01 -0500, you wrote:
>>  >Wouldn't argue. It just seems that one or the other is redundant; like
>>  >"focus in on" or "continued on".
>>  >
>>  >Go Green
>>  >
>>  >Bob
>>
>>  Reminds me of a former TA who considers "co-occur together" (quoted from
>>  Fromkin & Rodman, our old Lx favorite) to be "teeth-clenchingly,
>>  nerve-gratingly redundant."  Needless to say, she's no longer teaching
>>  linguistics.
>>
>>  _____________________________________________
>>  Beverly Olson Flanigan         Department of Linguistics
>>  Ohio University                     Athens, OH  45701
>>  Ph.: (740) 593-4568              Fax: (740) 593-2967
>>  http://www.cats.ohiou.edu/linguistics/dept/flanigan.htm

--
Dennis R. Preston
Department of Linguistics and Languages
Michigan State University
East Lansing MI 48824-1027 USA
preston at pilot.msu.edu
Office: (517)353-0740
Fax: (517)432-2736