Final call for papers: ADS 2008 Chicago

[Beverly Flanigan]

Jenny Cheshire had an article some years ago on this same punctual use of
"never" by kids in Reading, I believe (not at hand now).  I think I recall
hearing it too, most commonly in strong denial situations like the one
Wilson suggests.  Maybe it's not nonstandard for most people but just
colloquial.

At 03:38 PM 8/7/2007, you wrote:
>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
>Subject:      Re: Final call for papers: ADS 2008 Chicago
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>I have to go with Ron on this one. When we moved up to Saint Louis
>from Texas, we were struck by the ability of white neighbor kids,
>ca.1940, to use "No, I never!" for "No, I didn't!" as well as for "No,
>I never have / haven't (ever)!"
>
>-Wilson
>
>On 8/7/07, RonButters at aol.com <RonButters at aol.com> wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       RonButters at AOL.COM
> >
> Subject:      =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Re:=20=A0=20=A0=20=A0=20Re:=20[ADS-L]=20Final=20c?
> >               = =?ISO-8859-1?Q?all=20for=20papers:=20ADS=202008=20Chicago?=
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > In a message dated 8/7/07 11:30:19 AM, preston at MSU.EDU writes:
> >
> >
> > > For
> > > example, "never" is apparently standard in "I never went there" for
> > > "At no time in the past did I got there" but nonstandard for "I
> > > didn't go there."
> > >
> >
> > So "standard" American English has some kind of punctual-versus-eternal
> > aspect? Not for me, I think (maybe for young guys such as Dennis), is
> "I never went
> > there" 'standard' for either case, though I could say it informally whether
> > my meaning was 'I have never gone there' or 'I didn't go there at the
> time that
> > instant in time that is at issue in our conversation." If someone says
> to me,
> > "I never went there"--whether it is Dennis, Arnold, Frank, or some totally
> > vernacular speaker, I cannot know, except for context, whether the time
> > described is punctual or eternal.
> >
> >
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>--
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