Double modal

[Scot LaFaive]

"A Smoky Mountain Christmas" is from 1986, and Dolly Parton (not a Yankee)
was one of the writers. That's the only double modal I can remember hearing
in a film (if you can call this a "film").
Scot


>From: Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
>Reply-To: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>Subject: Re: Double modal
>Date: Mon, 1 Jan 2007 10:52:53 -0800
>
>---------------------- Information from the mail header
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>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM>
>Subject:      Re: Double modal
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>But do they ever use double modals ?
>
>   I'd like to see a quote if they do.  My skepticsm comes from the utter
>unfamiliarity of "might could" to me after years of watching such movies at
>an early and impressionable age; the fact that most of them were apparently
>written by Hollywood Yankee types who wouldn't know a corn from a pone if
>it jumped up and bit 'em; as well as a (misperceived ?) dearth in pulp
>Westerns.
>
>   Naturally, I could be wrong about this.
>
>   JL
>Paul Johnson <paulzjoh at MTNHOME.COM> wrote:
>   ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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>Sender: American Dialect Society
>Poster: Paul Johnson
>
>Subject: Re: Double modal
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Just as there were "race" movies in the thirties and forties there were
>"country" or southern movies, usually cowboy, some singing that never
>played in a big city. These films were packed with corn pone dialect.
>Occasionally you can see one on the Western cable channel.
>
>Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>
> >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 wrote:
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
> >Sender: American Dialect Society
> >Poster: Beverly Flanigan
> >Subject: Re: Double modal
> >-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> >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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