"change out a window", "paint out a shelf"

[neil]

> From: "Mark A. Mandel" <mamandel at LDC.UPENN.EDU>
> Reply-To: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2006 10:45:53 -0400
> To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Subject: Re: "change out a window", "paint out a shelf"
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Mark A. Mandel" <mamandel at LDC.UPENN.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: "change out a window", "paint out a shelf"
>
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>
> "Cohen, Gerald Leonard" <gcohen at UMR.EDU> wrote:
>
>>>>>>
>
> A house painter today asked me about the addition of "out" to verbs that
> don't seem to need it.
>
> Sample:
> "Do you want these windows painted?"
> "No, we're gonna change out these windows."
> And:
> "We're gonna paint out that shelf."
>
> He tells me that he's heard these sentences from contractors and adds "I
> find that kinda annoying."
>
> Is this use of "change out" and "paint out" more than a localism?
>
> Gerald Cohen
> (in south central Missouri)
>
>  <<<<<
>
> I see your point about the shelf. But "change out" looks like it means
> 'replace". "Change these windows" could be used to describe modifications on
> the existing windows, and in other contexts the modification interpretation
> would be as salient as the replacement interpretation or more so. That gives
> good motivation for adding the particle to "change" 'replace'.
>
> -- Mark A. Mandel
> [This text prepared with Dragon NaturallySpeaking.]

I always wondered about the addition of 'of' to 'off'.

I find 'get something off of someone' grating.

I much prefer the simple 'get something off someone'.

--Neil Crawford
>
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