"Is it" appended to questions

[Wilson Gray]

Even in the US, familiarity with "innit" predates Ali G. Cf., e.g.,
the imported comic strip, "Andy Capp."

-Wilson

On 5/13/07, Lynne Murphy <m.l.murphy at sussex.ac.uk> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Lynne Murphy <m.l.murphy at SUSSEX.AC.UK>
> Subject:      Re: "Is it" appended to questions
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 'Is it' is definitely South African.  It's typically said with a slightly
> downward intonation, and without any indication that there are two words
> there.  (I.e. it's not 'is IT?', it's 'izzit'.)  In the UK, one hears
> "innit" (i.e. 'isn't it', but not written/pronounced that way) used in a
> similar way, but that is marked as 'youth-y' and 'greater London-y'. (No
> such marking on the South African version.) Americans may know 'innit' from
> the Ali G character.
>
> Lynne
>
> Dr M Lynne Murphy
> Senior Lecturer and Head of Department
> Linguistics and English Language
> Arts B135
> University of Sussex
> Brighton BN1 9QN
>
> phone: +44-(0)1273-678844
> http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com
>
> --On Saturday, May 12, 2007 11:39 pm -0400 Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
> wrote:
>
> > I've heard it in Britspeak in a restricted set of dialogues like the
> > following:
> >
> > Why, John! It's a pleasure to see you, again!
> >
> > Not at all, dear fellow! My pleasure! (It's) Wilson Gray, is it?
> >
> > -Wilson
> >
> > On 5/12/07, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
> >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >> ----------------------- Sender:       American Dialect Society
> >> <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> >> Subject:      Re: "Is it" appended to questions
> >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >> -------
> >>
> >> I meant an "is it" appended to questions.
> >>
> >> In my instance, the writer definitely knew that the person went to
> >> Harvard.  I understand the writer's "is it" as reiterating the
> >> question, as in "You're embarrassed because ...? Is that it?"
> >>
> >> Joel
> >>
> >> At 5/12/2007 12:20 PM, you wrote:
> >> > > A friend wrote me in email
> >> > >
> >> > >> I hadn't heard anything about the story.  However, I assume that you
> >> > >> sympathize with him even though you may be embarrassed that he lives
> >> > >> in Arlington and went to Harvard, is it?
> >> > >
> >> > > What regions/dialects is such an "is it" regional to?  Welsh, for
> >> > > one?
> >> > >
> >> > > Joel
> >> > > ~~~~~~~~~
> >> >  Without being quite sure what you mean by "_such_ an 'is it' ",  my
> >> >  guess in this case is that the "is it" only applies to Harvard: that
> >> > the writer isn't entirely certain that it mightn't be BU or MIT.
> >> > AM
> >> > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> >> > Cut & Run? ........... You bet!
> >> > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> >> >
> >> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >>
> >> ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >>
> >
> >
> > --
> > 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
> > ------
> > The tongue has no bones, yet it breaks bones.
> >
> >                                            Rumanian proverb
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>


--
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
------
The tongue has no bones, yet it breaks bones.

                                           Rumanian proverb

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