Past tense of pet

[Benjamin Barrett]

When I slow my speech down, it doesn't sound so bad to say something like,
"I net the fish and gut 'em."

It might be an imitation of my dad (native West Virginian, long-time
Alaskan), but in any case, it sounds much better to my ear slow than in my
normal, faster dialect (native Seattleite).

It's possilbe that the effect could just be narrative present (using the
present for a narrative); I'm not sure.

Benjamin Barrett
Baking the World a Better Place
www.hiroki.us

> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society
> [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of Dennis R. Preston
> Sent: Sunday, 14 September 2003 11:28 AM

> >What are examples opf "slower accents" (and why are they
> appropriate to
> >the plain preterite or patricipial forms of "net" and "gut"?

> dInIs (speaker of a quick accent)

> >FWIW, I wonder if there are people who say things like net and gut.
> >Talking in a slower accent, "He net the fish and then gut
> 'em." I don't
> >think I'd say it, but it doesn't sound too bad...