Is there such a phenomenon as "undercorrection/hypocorrection?

[Beverly Flanigan]

Of course not; I didn't say there was.

At 07:57 PM 3/16/2005 -0500, you wrote:
>All before stressed syllables. Ain't no hypocorrection (structural)
>goin on there.
>
>dInIs
>
>
>
>>By the way, for those of you who think a-prefixing is dead, or at least
>>isn't used in Ohio, I heard a great example on local radio this
>>morning.  Concerning a murder about 30 miles from here, in southeastern
>>Ohio, the interviewee said "They were a-screamin' and a-hollerin', and
>>a-hollerin' and a-screamin'"--four attestations!
>>
>>At 04:36 PM 3/16/2005, you wrote:
>>>John Baugh has a nice piece on hypocorrection, a now standardized
>>>term I think. Remember, however, it may mean structural or
>>>statistical hypocorrection.
>>>
>>>1) statistical - when you use more nonstandard than you or the
>>>situation might seem to call for, or when one groups uses more
>>>nonstandard than would be expected from its position in social
>>>structure.
>>>
>>>2) structural - when you try to use a "lower status" (presumably
>>>covertly prestigious form) but get it wrong. Spose one of you
>>>flatlanders wanted to sound like a hillbilly and got into
>>>a-prefixing. You might utter "I  was a-rememberin what Ole Joe tole
>>>me." But you would be wrong; a-pefixing doesn't occur before
>>>unstressed syllables.
>>>
>>>dInIs
>>>
>>>>Spoken by a black TV-show guest:
>>>>
>>>>He aks me _whose, uh, who_ car was this.
>>>>
>>>>-Wilson
>
>
>--
>Dennis R. Preston
>University Distinguished Professor of Linguistics
>Department of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic, Asian, and African Languages
>A-740 Wells Hall
>Michigan State University
>East Lansing, MI 48824
>Phone: (517) 432-3099
>Fax: (517) 432-2736
>preston at msu.edu