Another case of negative = positive?

[Wilson Gray]

Interesting! Parallel evolution or the same origin in the mother
country? My guess is that we'll never know. But you never know.

-Wilson

On 1/23/08, James Harbeck <jharbeck at sympatico.ca> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       James Harbeck <jharbeck at SYMPATICO.CA>
> Subject:      Re: Another case of negative = positive?
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> >I was chatting with a Texas relative and mentioned to him that he
> >might want to read a particular book. He replied:
> >
> >a) "I'll see whether I _can't_ [keint] find it down here."
> >
> >Of course, he meant:
> >
> >b) "I'll see whether I _can_ [kin] find it down here."
> >
> >Except that that's not how people say it Down Home.
> >
> >-Wilson
>
> In the Great White North, I've heard both variants. Only with the
> Canadian [ae], of course.
>
> James Harbeck.
>
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