99.44% (was Re: German dialect in Texas)

[Jonathan Lighter]

"I've been knowin' that" (has this form ever been discussed here ?) since kidhood.

  JL

"Mark A. Mandel" <mamandel at LDC.UPENN.EDU> wrote:
  ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: "Mark A. Mandel"
Subject: 99.44% (was Re: German dialect in Texas)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wilson writes:
>>>>>

Chris has a point, though not necessarily the one she intended to
make. Words beginning with /h/ in a Slavic language or in Rumanian are
99.44% certain to be of non-native origin. The root of "haken" could
easily be the historical source of both "haczyk" and "hacek."

<<<<<

How widely used is that "99.44%"? And how many who use it are aware of its
origin, Ivory Soap, "99 44/100 % pure" (IIRC)?

-- Mark
[This text prepared with Dragon NaturallySpeaking.]

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



---------------------------------
Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail beta.

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