Tense in BE

[Wilson Gray]

Naw, I still be sayin' it. But BEEN isn't consistent with "awla my
life." Only unstressed "been" is. In my experience, big BEEN <har!
har!> can imply that the other person, in the speaker's opinion, was
right stupid to think that what he had to say was of any interest to
anyone else. Adding the longer variant with unstressed "been" is meant
to take the put-down out of it, rather like a spoken smile/wink
emoticon.

-Wilson

On 5/30/07, Dennis Preston <preston at msu.edu> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> 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
>
>
> >---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >-----------------------
> >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:
> >>  ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> >>-----------------------
> >>  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
> >>
> >>  >---------------------- 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
> >>  >
> >>  >
> >>  >---------------------------------
> >>  >Park yourself in front of a world of choices in alternative vehicles.
> >>  >Visit the Yahoo! Auto Green Center.
> >>  >
> >>  >------------------------------------------------------------
> >>  >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 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 American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org