Heard on The Judges

[Wilson Gray]

C'mown, now! I'se (I was) jes' funnin' wit chawl! I have to
continually remind myself that  my comments on dialect generally refer
to what was true in the '40's, '50's, '60's, and '70's and are not
necessarily true, today. Though, given that these years seem like only
yesterday, my comments should still be valid in the present. :-)

FWIW, I know lots of WE speakers who use "I'se" for "I was." It seems
to be an obvious-enough development.

-Wilson

On 3/24/08, 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: Heard on The Judges
>  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>  I agree; when I say I am from Louisville, its important to know lots
>  of stuff, including DOB; younguns there now conflate /hw/-/w/ and
>  there is even a rumor of the low-back merger being sighted (auded?)
>  on the eastern edge of the city. To the ramparts!
>
>  dInIs
>
>  >---------------------- Information from the mail header
>  >-----------------------
>  >Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>  >Poster:       David Bowie <db.list at PMPKN.NET>
>  >Subject:      Re: Heard on The Judges
>  >-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>  >
>  >From:    Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
>  >
>  ><snip>
>  >
>  >>  Ah, there's really no need to be so specific about DOB. Sen. Specter
>  >>  of PA was on the Daily Show, the other night and, for some reason, Jon
>  >>  asked him his age. Specter's reply was approximately as follows:
>  >
>  >>  "The other day, while I was looking at my birth certificate, I decided
>  >>  that something so trivial that had happened so long ago was no longer
>  >>  worthy of mention."
>  >
>  >>  He shoots! He scores!
>  >
>  >>  Yes, I admit that, when I was but a mere stripling of your age, I
>  >>  enjoyed letting people know that I was an adult. I had such a baby
>  >>  face that I was still being carded at the age of 36. As has often been
>  >>  said, "Those were the good old days!" And, as has been said just as
>  >>  often, "Those days are gone forever."
>  >
>  >No, just included year of birth 'cause the area i grew up in has been
>  >going through some pretty severe and rapid linguistic changes over the
>  >last century--so the *when* is pretty much as important as the where for
>  >that community.
>  >
>  >Specter's line is pretty good, though.
>  >
>  >--
>  >David Bowie                               University of Central Florida
>  >      Jeanne's Two Laws of Chocolate: If there is no chocolate in the
>  >      house, there is too little; some must be purchased. If there is
>  >      chocolate in the house, there is too much; it must be consumed.
>  >
>  >------------------------------------------------------------
>  >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
>
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>  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

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