PASSED (AWAY) (was 'disappearing prepositions')

[Jonathan Lighter]

Though I've already observed that Phil Donahue used to say "passed" all the time on his old TV series, it's also true that mostly African Americans seem to use it - on TV, at least.

JL

Sam Clements <SClements at NEO.RR.COM> wrote:
---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Sam Clements
Subject: Re: PASSED (AWAY) (was 'disappearing prepositions')
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----- Original Message -----
From:
To:
Sent: Sunday, October 24, 2004 2:18 PM
Subject: PASSED (AWAY) (was 'disappearing prepositions')


>I never heard PASSED for PASSED AWAY until >1967, when I moved from Iowa to
>North Carolina, where I began to hear it in the speech >of African
Americans of
>all social classes. I also have a sense that it was found >then in folk
speech
>among whites as well. I don't know what the DARE files >might tell us about
>this, but my guess is that it is (or at least was) a >Southernism.

White, born in Danville VA in 1944, lived in Arlington Va until 1966. Had
dozens of Southern Virginia relatives.

Never heard "passed" until I taught in an all-Black High School in NC,
1967-70.

Sam Clements


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