Double modal

[Jonathan Lighter]

When I heard my first "might could," I felt confused and disoriented. It was almost as bad as my first positive "anymore."  (Or, or very different reasons, my first "Sir.")

  I doubt that any double modal appeared in a movie before the ' 70s - if then.

  JL



Beverly Flanigan <flanigan at OHIO.EDU> wrote:
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Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Beverly Flanigan
Subject: Re: Double modal
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I'm not sure it's that noticeable, or off-putting, to Northerners. A
similar "double" is the Southern double complementizer "like that," as in
"It seems like that we're in a mess in Iraq." I made that up, but Southern
Congressmen are heard using the form often--as would any normal Southerner,
of course.

At 01:19 PM 12/28/2006, you wrote:
>Is that the same species as one of Jeff Foxworthy's "You might be a
>redneck..." shibboleths,
>
> _I used t' could'a'_
>
>?
>
>-jk
>
>At 09:35 AM 12/28/2006, Scot LaFaive wrote:
>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>-----------------------
>>Sender: American Dialect Society
>>Poster: Scot LaFaive
>>Subject: Double modal
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>This weekend, while suffering through "Smoky Mountain Christmas" starring
>>Lee Majors and Dolly Parton, I heard Lee Majors' character use a double
>>modal ("might could"). This isn't thrilling (esp. considering that at least
>>one of writers is from the South as is Lee Majors), but it did stand out a
>>little. I was surprised that a cheesy, feel-good, mass market movie would
>>use a double modal that might frighten the Northerners.
>>Just thought it was worth noting.
>>
>>Scot
>>
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