Tense in BE

[Dennis Preston]

Margaret,

I remember quite distinctly "I BEEN knowing this" (with remotive
stressed BEEN) from Black speakers (Louisville area) from some time
ago (50s). As I recall, however, the context was "Why are you telling
me what I've known for a long time?" The remotive plus progressive is
not at all rare, and this could be the source for the "knowing this"
for you cite, but in your memory it seems to be a simple agreement
marker while I remember it as a slightly annoyed response to old news.

I know; this breaks Preston's law of sociolinguistics #2. But since
both my laws are broken daily here, I can't resist.

dInIs

>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Margaret Lee <mlee303 at YAHOO.COM>
>Subject:      Re: Tense in BE
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM> wrote:    When I was stationed in
>Berlin ca.1961, I used to hear some black GI's
>say "knowin' this" instead of "fuckin' A" or "I'm hip." At the time, I
>figured that this was local slang brought from home, wherever that
>was.
>
>
>And the cool way to say it was with the stress on the first
>syllable, "know' in this," used to indicate that you agree with what
>someone has just said.
>
>   Margaret
>
>
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