Heard on The Judges: sE > to BE

[Laurence Horn]

At 11:46 PM -0400 4/8/08, Baker, John wrote:
>I think it's pretty common:  232,000 Google hits.  Clearly not the
>same as "that isn't right," which is more the kind of thing you
>would say about an incorrect math answer.
>
>
>John Baker

Like "my bad" several years ago, or "player hater ['plEy@ 'hEt@]",
"That ain't right" in the relevant sense/context has been helped
along in its trajectory by the usage of Stuart Scott on ESPN's
SportsCenter.  Alice, am I right or am I right?

LH

>
>
>________________________________
>
>From: American Dialect Society on behalf of Dennis Preston
>Sent: Tue 4/8/2008 1:30 PM
>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>Subject: Re: Heard on The Judges: sE > to BE
>
>
>
>You're right; brand names might be out, but I don't understand "That
>ain't right."
>
>dInIs
>
>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>-----------------------
>>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>Poster:       "Baker, John" <JMB at STRADLEY.COM>
>>Subject:      Re: Heard on The Judges: sE > to BE
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>          I'm not sure if you're counting uses that are really quotations,
>>such as "Say it ain't so, Joe."  But "That ain't right" should qualify.
>>I think that in general I hear "ain't" less often than in years past,
>>though that could be a function of my living in suburban Maryland rather
>>than rural Kentucky.
>>
>>          I do hear "You're the man" (though not "You are the man").  The
>>"apples" version I'm used to is "How do you like them apples?"
>>
>>          I don't think brand names, such as "Dunkin' Donuts," should
>>count.
>>
>>          Outlook's spell-check tried to get me to change "ain't" to
>>"isn't" when I first started to send this message.
>>
>>
>>John Baker
>>
>>
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf
>>Of Dennis Preston
>>Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2008 11:02 AM
>>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>>Subject: Re: Heard on The Judges: sE > to BE
>>
>>Almost certainly the case, and recall that I continue to be interested
>>in people providing me with even further examples of obligatory
>>nonstandards.
>>
>>E.g.,
>>
>>What do you think of (or "How bout") them (never "those") apples.
>>
>>You the ("da") man (never "You are the man").
>>
>>/Si:It/ for metaphoric uses, but never for feces. (/SIt/ is OK for both
>>uses.) (/S/ = palatal sibilant)
>>
>>You can't go to "Dunking Donuts," even if you claim to never "drop your
>>g's."
>>
>>Are there any obligatory "ain'ts"? Others?
>>
>>dInIs
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>>-----------------------
>>>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>>Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
>>>Subject:      Heard on The Judges: sE > to BE
>>>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>--------
>>>
>>>Some may recall that I once claimed that, regardless of a speaker's
>>>usual register, he tends to move it toward the working-class norm, when
>>
>>>using slang or slang-like expressions.
>>>
>>>Middle-class, black, male speaker complaining about his cheating wife:
>>>
>>>She was unbelievable, your honor! She _wadn_ cool at at all. She would
>>>call me at work to find out when I was coming home, so that she would
>>>know how much time she had to do her _thing [TaeIN]_!"
>>>
>>>-Wilson
>>>--
>>>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
>>
>>
>>--
>>Dennis R. Preston
>>University Distinguished Professor
>>Department of English
>>Morrill Hall 15-C
>>Michigan State University
>>East Lansing, MI 48864 USA
>>
>>------------------------------------------------------------
>>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>  >
>>------------------------------------------------------------
>>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>
>--
>Dennis R. Preston
>University Distinguished Professor
>Department of English
>Morrill Hall 15-C
>Michigan State University
>East Lansing, MI 48864 USA
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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