Nobel Prize for Archaeological Grammar

[Beverly Flanigan]

"Dived" has been overtaking "dove" for a long time; the latter is Northern
in the early Atlas records but less common elsewhere (again, see Virginia
McDavid on past tense forms).  The natural regularization process is alive
and well here; I almost never hear "dove" anymore (I use it, but then I'm
an archaic Minnesotan).

As for objective "I": I hear it all the time too, along with subjective
"Me" (Me and my brother went swimming).  As many have pointed out though
(including Arnold?), conjoined subjects (or objects) seem to license this
change, whereas a single subject (or object) never would:  *He sent it to
I.  *Me went swimming.

Beverly

At 10:07 AM 8/21/2007, you wrote:
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>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       "David A. Daniel" <dad at POKERWIZ.COM>
>Subject:      Re: Nobel Prize for Archaeological Grammar
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>
>I don't get it. OK, scuba-dived sounds kind of weird, but so does
>scuba-dove. I think most folks would say "I went scuba diving" and sidestep
>the issue. With or without the scuba, though, dived and dove are both
>perfectly respectable as past tense for dive. Am I missing something? As for
>"...sent it to I and my brother" I don't think I know anyone (any native
>speakers, that is) who would say that. Maybe I don't know the right people?
>DAD
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of
>Laurence Urdang
>Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2007 10:11 AM
>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>Subject: Nobel Prize for Archaeological Grammar
>
>Heard today on WOR710, 0505, by Shelley Strickler:
>                                   dived
>   for "dove":
>   "I scuba-dived in Cancun."
>   I wonder if I shall ever again hear "me" instead of "I" in contexts like,
>"He sent it to I and my brother" (let alone the inherent rudeness of
>mentioning oneself before another or others, clearly a relic in the annals
>of politeness).
>   I can tolerate anything as a professional linguist; but as a professional
>writer who tries to cleave to an elevated style, I abhor such linguistic
>miscegenations.
>   L. Urdang
>
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