Military industrial complex lays Pommy lexicographer low

[Dennis R. Preston]

This here, that-there, that-yonder.

Three way distinction?



>At 9:47 AM -0400 5/1/01, Jesse Sheidlower wrote:
>>  > Not sure whether it was intended that way, but "yonder" has evidently
>>>  become a noun (usually modified by a color specifier) through this
>>>  particular verse.  The OED has, in addition to a nonce (hapax?)
>>>  (oncer?) use by Meredith of "yonder" as a substantive,
>>
>>In our citation database, most of our examples of _yonder_ noun are
>>in some construction like "wild blue yonder." However, we do have this
>>unusual citation of _yonder_ noun, the interpretation of which I
>>leave as an exercise for the reader:
>>
>>1996 A. Warner _Outlying Station_ in H. Ritchie _New Scottish Writing_
>>209 If I had _yonder_ in there for a daughter and the storms that are
>>brewing for her future I'd take myself up in those woods with a good
>>length of rope and a fine bottle of malt.
>>
>>Jesse Sheidlower
>>OED
>
>In the context, is this a demonstrative, as in "If I had [that girl]
>yonder for a daughter"?  Presumably the focused "yonder" is
>accompanied by a pointing or a head-nodding to the girl in question.
>Interesting transfer.
>
>larry

--
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
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