try and?

[Duane Campbell]

On Thu, 17 Apr 2003 15:01:57 -0700 Peter Richardson

> Note
> that we
> can't say "I'll try and [do it],"

Maybe not where you live, but it is very common in northern Pennsylvania.
I'll try and give my shaky explanation.

For absolutely no rational reason, I have always had the sense that this
is related to the "take and" construction, as in "       ...

We'll, that's interesting. I can't think of a proper example. My
grandmother, rural Pennsylvania, died 40 years ago, would always say,
"Take and [do something]."  But at the moment the only examples that come
to mind contain some kind of literal, if unneeded, use of "take."  "Take
and wash that glass."   I'm sure she used it as an empty filler phrase,
but when I try to put it in that context, it doesn't ring true. Well,
it's been several decades.

Nevermind.

D