doesn't/don't

[Barbara Need]

At 9:35 -0500 9/03/04, Page Stephens wrote:
>I should have said third but then this is not the first time I have uploaded
>in haste and repented at leisure.
>
>Page

Well, that makes more sense. Thank you for the clarification. On the
other hand, strictly speaking, don't has never been standard for 3rd
person singular. The positive forms for 3rd person singular present
of do have been either doth or does. I can't think of a time when do
was standard for 3s.

What makes your friend think it was? Does s/he have any examples?

Barbara Need
UChicago--Linguistics

>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Barbara Need" <nee1 at MIDWAY.UCHICAGO.EDU>
>To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Sent: Monday, March 08, 2004 12:32 PM
>Subject: Re: doesn't/don't
>
>
>>  ---------------------- Information from the mail
>header -----------------------
>>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>  Poster:       Barbara Need <nee1 at MIDWAY.UCHICAGO.EDU>
>>  Subject:      Re: doesn't/don't
>>  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
>-----
>>
>>  At 11:04 -0500 8/03/04, Page Stephens wrote:
>>  >A friend of mine, Banjo Jan, has been bugging me about this subject
>>  >for the past month or so.
>>  >
>>  >I do not know the answer so I thought I would put it up on this list.
>>  >
>>  >Does anyone on this list know when "doesn't" replaced "don't" as the
>>  >first personal singular in correct usage?
>>
>>  It hasn't as far as I know.
>>
>>  You mean: I doesn't know who he is? I doesn't care about that? I
>>  can't say that.
>>
>>  Barbara Need
>>  UChicago--Linguistics