Tense in BE

[Dennis Preston]

The combination of remotive BEEN with modals and quai-modals has, so
far as I know, not been studied. Since they are often perfectives,
they seem inconsistent with most modal senses.

dInIs



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>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Sarah Lang <slang at UCHICAGO.EDU>
>Subject:      Re: Tense in BE
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Can that be paired thus: "I might shoulda been knowin' that" or "I
>useda could known (?)"?
>
>(Btw, I've started recording speech in my neighbourhood [http://
>en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodlawn,_Chicago]; I'll let you know how it
>goes.)
>
>S.
>
>On May 30, 2007, at 11:57 AM, Dennis Preston wrote:
>
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>>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>  Poster:       Dennis Preston <preston at MSU.EDU>
>>  Subject:      Re: Tense in BE
>>  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>  ---------
>>
>>  Wilson,
>>
>>  Does that mean you ain't sayin' it now? Is 'BEEN' consistent with
>>  "awla my life"?
>>
>>  dInIs, being picky
>>
>>
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>>>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>  Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
>>>  Subject:      Re: Tense in BE
>>>  ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>  ----------
>>>
>>>  Shoot, dInIs, I BEEN sayin' that! In fac', I been sayin' that kina
>>>  thang awla my life.
>>>
>>>  -Wilson, writing in the guise of [wIusn]
>>>
>>>  On 5/30/07, Dennis Preston <preston at msu.edu> wrote:
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>>>>   Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>>   Poster:       Dennis Preston <preston at MSU.EDU>
>>>>   Subject:      Re: Tense in BE
>>>>
>>>>  --------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>  -----------
>>>>
>>>>   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
>>>>
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>>>>>  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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