jumping

[Wilson Gray]

Judge Mathis was talking about a literal physical attack by the boy on
the girl. But I'm sure that the judge, as also I, would understand
"jump on" as meaning "jump all over, pounce upon," etc., in the right
contexts. It's just that the people before him couldn't understand the
judge's use of "jump on" to mean "attack physically, assault." Though
we educated non-standard speakers can understand the standard, we're
not always aware that some word or phrase that we grew up using is
non-standard and completely unknown to standard speakers, as was the
case when I asked, "Did you hear about the way that Sgt. Rea _fucked
over_ Lupow?" and no one knew what I was talking about.

And please note that, for black speakers of my generation, at least,
"fuck someone over" is absolutely *not* a mere variant of "fuck over
someone." I've heard "fuck over s." all my life. I first heard "fuck
s. over" ca.1970 and it was used only by white people who *never* used
"fuck over s." Because I've aged out, I don't know whether blacks now
say "fuck s. over" or whether whites now say "fuck over s."

-Wilson

On 2/29/08, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>  Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
>  Subject:      Re: jumping
>  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>  At 2/29/2008 09:54 AM, Laurence Horn wrote:
>  >... For me, "What are you jumping on me for?" is as unexceptional as
>  >"...jumping all over..."  No implication that anyone's bones are
>  >being jumped (even in contexts lacking the incest angle).
>
>  In most contexts I would take "jump on" similarly, as "To pounce
>  upon, come down upon with violence or unawares."  But in an earlier
>  example from Wilson, I would certainly wonder which meaning Mathis meant.
>
>  Wilson had written:
>  >On the Judge Greg Mathis show appeared a white, standard-speaking
>  >woman with her sixteen-year-old son and a white, standard-speaking
>  >woman with her fifteen-year-old daughter. The boy's mother complained
>  >that the other woman's daughter had deprived her son of his virginity.
>  >The girl's mother replied that the son had gone upside her daughter's
>  >head.
>  >
>  >Nothing gives Judge Mathis the jaws more than hearing that a man has
>  >abused a woman in any manner. So, before the boy's mother could reply,
>  >the judge angrily interrupted, saying, "That soun' like assault to me!
>  >Let me hear 'bout this boy _jumpin' on_ that girl!"
>
>  Joel
>
>
>  >LH
>  >
>  >>
>  >>On Fri, Feb 29, 2008 at 11:44 AM, Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com> wrote:
>  >>
>  >>>  ---------------------- 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 tonight's Without a Trace
>  >>>
>  >>>
>  >>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>  >>>
>  >>>  The show is set in New York City.
>  >>>
>  >>>  Ex-con white mother to shoplifting son:
>  >>>
>  >>>  "What are you *doing*?! Are you *crazy*?!"
>  >>>
>  >>>  Son replies:
>  >>>
>  >>>  "What are you _jumping on_ *me* for?! *You* did it [broke the law], too!"
>  >>>
>  >>>  Of course, the *writer* could be Southern or black.
>  >>>
>  >>>  -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
>  >>
>  >>
>  >>
>  >>--
>  >>Randy Alexander
>  >>Jilin City, China
>  >>
>  >>------------------------------------------------------------
>  >>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>  >
>  >------------------------------------------------------------
>  >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