Yes vs. I am

[Sally Donlon]

Well, now I feel better. . .

Reading this thread had made me feel really disconnected until I read
Dale's post because I know I grew up with this construction.

So, how about other folks who grew up in Irish-American households
(or at least those who actively identified with that hyphenated sub-
set).

sally o. donlon


On Mar 24, 2006, at 4:34 PM, Dale Coye wrote:

> I use "I did" instead of "yes" a lot and also various other non-yes
> responses, like "I will"  "I have"  and I've done this since the
> late 70s when I picked
> it up from one of my best friends at college because we always
> imitate people
> we think have a cool way of talking.   I later read that this is a
> feature of
> Irish English because in Gaelic you don't respond with Yes or No,
> but with I
> will, etc.
>
> Dale Coye
> Wilton, NH
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org