Heard on The Judges

[Dennis Preston]

Me too, and folk (linguists who don't know squat) keep tellin me I
"can't" say "I'se" for "I was."

dInIs



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>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
>Subject:      Re: Heard on The Judges
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>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:
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>>   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
>>
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>>   >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.
>>   >
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>>   >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
>>
>
>
>--
>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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--
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