copula deletion and BEV

[Wilson Gray]

Thank you for the clarification, Michael.

-Wilson

On 1/24/07, Michael H Covarrubias <mcovarru at purdue.edu> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Michael H Covarrubias <mcovarru at PURDUE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: copula deletion and BEV
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> It's a very specific claim that Labov made regarding the incidence of deletion
> relative to an individual's place in the community.  It was part of his study
> of peer groups in Harlem.  Late 60s/early 70s.
>
> In one group (the Jets) he identified four tiers based on association and
> mutual regard: the core members, the secondary members, the peripheral members
> and the "lames." According to his findings the core and secondary members used
> the zero form copula 46 percent of the time while the peripheral members used
> it 26 percent and the lames used it 20 percent of the time.
>
> It'll be hard to attest such a conclusion of social significance 40 years later.
>
>
>
> > Quoting Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>:
> >
> > I don't know. What does "an important community marker" mean?
> >
> > -Wilson
> >
> > On 1/24/07, Amy West <medievalist at w-sts.com> wrote:
> > > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > > Poster:       Amy West <medievalist at W-STS.COM>
> > > Subject:      copula deletion and BEV
> > >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> -
> > >
> > > Thanks for educating me. It's something that I've never noticed before.
> > > Does Labov's claim hold up under scrutiny?
> > >
> > > ---Amy West
> > >
> > > >Date:    Tue, 23 Jan 2007 12:23:09 -0500
> > > >From:    Michael H Covarrubias <mcovarru at PURDUE.EDU>
> > > >Subject: Re: a dialect using just participle?
> > > >
> > > >It looks like copula deletion.  Labov claimed this feature was an
> > important
> > > >community marker of Black English Vernacular.
> > > >
> > > >Quoting Amy West <medievalist at W-STS.COM>:
> > > >  > Now, finally, I'm reading the handbook (Longman Writer's Companion)
> > > >>  and in their discussion of the progressive & perfect tenses they
> > > >  > identify as a dialect example this:
> > > >>
> > > >>  The interview starting five minutes late.
> > > >>  (They analyze it as omitting _is_ in _is starting_.)
> > > >>
> > > >>  I've never run across this dialectical variant. Now I feel really
> > > >  > stupid for thinking that my student was stupid.
> > >
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> > --
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> > come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
> > -----
> > -Sam'l Clemens
> >
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--
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

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