I'm are

[Paul A Johnston, Jr.]

I didn't know about this as part of AAVE, but it's attested in Glasgow vernacular and might be in Ulster speech too.  If so, there's a connection to the South.

Paul Johnston

----- Original Message -----
From: Scot LaFaive <spiderrmonkey at HOTMAIL.COM>
Date: Thursday, September 6, 2007 3:23 pm
Subject: I'm are

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Scot LaFaive <spiderrmonkey at HOTMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      I'm are
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> ------------
>
> In a recent song by Timbaland ("The Way You Are"), there's an odd
> piece of
> grammar. The course is as follows:
>
> "Baby if you strip, you can get a tip
> 'Cause I like you just the way you are
> I'm about to strip and I'm well equipped
> Can you handle me the way I'm are?"
>
> Some websites say the last line is "Can you handle me the way I
> are?" but it
> sounds to me like "I'm are" (and some websites agree). Aside from
> the usage
> of "I" and "are" together, the really cool/crazy/bizarre thing
> here is the
> use of a double "to be" verb.
>
> Question: is the chunk "I are" common at all in Black English or
> was it just
> made up here solely for rhyming purposes?
>
> Scot
>
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