Fwd: Rejected posting to ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU

[Dennis Preston]

>
>Wilson,
>
>Certainly wasn't only a Black thang in the 40's. When I was a kid the
>verb was always 'stomp' and the stuff for postage was a 'stamp.' I
>couldn't say (for example) "He stamped out a fire" until I went away
>from the homeland. (Still sounds funny as hell to me.)
>
>And certain things I can't say even now, though I know the fancy
>(Northern?) verb. "He stamped his ass." Impossible. Sounds like he
>got it ready for mailing or maybe rubber-stamped it.
>
>dInIs
>
>
>
>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>-----------------------
>>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
>>Subject:      Re: change from the bottom up was re: accusative cursing
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>Not to mention certain pronunciations and turns of phrase that are now
>>felt as standard. Several years ago, I came across a reprint of a
>>perhaps century-old book with a title something like, A Lexicon of the
>>Speech of the Southern-Alabama Negro. Though I've tried for the past
>>couple of years to track down this publication, I've not been
>>successful. I've been hoping to see it mentioned by someone here, but,
>>so far, I''ve been SOL. IAC, the number of now-ordinary words and
>>phrases that the compiler specifies as peculiar to the speech of black
>>Southern-Alabamians is quite surprising. Unfortunately, I can recall
>>only one trivial example: the pronunciation of the verb, "stamp," as
>>though it was spelled "stomp," a pronunciation that some authors, e.g.
>>Roger Abrahams, WRT the speech of black Philadelphians, still
>>considered to be only a black thang as recently as the '60's.
>>
>>-Wilson
>>
>>On 4/17/07, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>>   ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>-----------------------
>>>   Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>   Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
>>>   Subject:      Re: change from the bottom up was re: accusative cursing
>>>
>>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>>   I agree, though Black English is not the only source.  However, it
>>>certainly has contributed a great number of (more or less)
>>>identifiable slang expressions to general American English since
>>>the Swing Era and especially since the 1960s.
>>>
>>>     Slang by (my) definition originates in contexts regarded as
>>>indecorous by speakers of prestige dialects.
>>>
>>>     JL
>>>
>>>   Amy West <medievalist at W-STS.COM> wrote:
>>>     ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>-----------------------
>>>   Sender: American Dialect Society
>>>   Poster: Amy West
>>>   Subject: change from the bottom up was re: accusative cursing
>>>
>>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>>   Hmmm...I like CPE; however I wonder if my students will be more
>>>   confused if I use that while our Longman's Writer's Companion uses
>>>   SWE.
>>>
>>>   I'm much more interested by the "phonetic changes work up" statement.
>>>   I've run across a similar analysis relating to slang terms entering
>>>   the language in a chapter in _Slam Dunks & No-Brainers_ where the
>>>   author argues that many slang terms work their way "up" from Black
>>>   Vernacular English into the dominant dialect. Being a newbie, I
>>>   wasn't sure if this was a consensus view in the field or not.
>>>
>>>   ---Amy West
>>>
>>>   >I use, and prefer, the term Conventional Plublic English, rather than
>>>   >Standard English, because, of course, there are no language
>>>standards, just
>>>   >lots of opinions, and opinions influence conventions, but not standards.
>>>   >Labov's, Wolfram's and Trudgill's research indicates that
>>>phonetic changes
>>>   >work up rather than down suggests that conventions, not standards, are
>>>   >altered from below. Have you looked at your son's pants lately?
>>>   >
>>>   >JCS
>  >>
>>>   ------------------------------------------------------------
>>>   The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>   >
>>>
>>>
>>>   ---------------------------------
>>>   Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell?
>>>    Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos.
>>>
>>>   ------------------------------------------------------------
>>>   The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>>
>>
>>
>>--
>>All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
>>come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
>>-----
>>                                                        -Sam'l Clemens
>>
>>"Experience" is the ability to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
>>
>>------------------------------------------------------------
>>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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