Not a Bushism

[Beverly Flanigan]

At 10:52 AM 3/14/02 -0500, you wrote:
>At 8:43 PM -0500 3/13/02, Duane Campbell wrote:
>>But along the same lines. It's real simple.
>>
>>I write a weekly column, and I try to keep it colloquial. I often toss a
>>folksy sounding phrase vs its canonical equivalent back and forth a dozen
>>times before making up my mind. Or more likely sending it off at the most
>>recent iteration because time ran out.
>>
>>I just did that with "It's real simple" vs "It's really simple."  The
>>first just sounds right to me.
>  I suspect these may go on a case by case basis.  For me, "real" is a
>perfectly good colloquial adverb; no problem with saying "It's real
>simple" or "I'm real tired", or writing it in a friendly note,
>although I would change it to "really" if I were editing a scholarly
>paper.  Similarly for "He runs too slow" or "You sure got here
>quick".  But I can't imagine "He's speaking serious".  So to the
>extent that "she's taking it serious" works, I think "serious" is
>functioning as an adjective for the relevant speakers, as someone
>suggested earlier in this thread.   (Note the subtle semantic
>difference between "Now you're talking seriously" and "Now you're
>talking serious".)
>
>larry

I might agree with the adjective interpretation if it weren't for the fact
that deleted -ly for adverbs tends to be the norm, rather than the
exception, in at least this eastern/Appalachian fringe of the South
Midland.  There's no subtle semantic distinction in these here parts.

_____________________________________________
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