Heard on The Judges

[Laurence Horn]

At 2:16 PM -0400 3/24/08, Dennis Preston wrote:
>Me too, and folk (linguists who don't know squat) keep tellin me I
>"can't" say "I'se" for "I was."
>

Hey, some of us linguists know squat.

LH

>
>
>>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>-----------------------
>>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:
>>>  ---------------------- 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
>>>
>>>   ------------------------------------------------------------
>>>   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
>
>
>--
>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