"to stay" vs. "to live" (reside)

[Bill Palmer]

I have no scientific research to support my observation, but in my nearly 50
years of life in the South (5 different states), I do not *recall* ever
hearing a white person use "stay" as as a substitute for "live".  My black
students who showed this preference were mostly from southern states...but
not exclusively, so it is definitely not a purely southern thing.


Bill Palmer

----- Original Message -----
From: <ronbutters at AOL.COM>
To: <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, March 08, 2009 10:24 AM
Subject: Re: "to stay" vs. "to live" (reside)


> ---------------------- Information from the mail
> header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       ronbutters at AOL.COM
> Subject:      Re: "to stay" vs. "to live" (reside)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> If this is true, then why do rural whites (and blacks) in the South use
> "stay" = 'reside'? Is there even a shred of evidence for Margaret's
> explanation? It looks like just another fanciful folk  conjecture.
>
> ------Original Message------
> From: Margaret Lee
> Sender: ADS-L
> To: ADS-L
> ReplyTo: ADS-L
> Subject: Re: [ADS-L] "to stay" vs. "to live" (reside)
> Sent: Mar 8, 2009 7:11 AM
>
> This topic was discussed on this list several years ago.
>
> African Americans' use of "stay" for "live" relates to the migration of
> blacks from the South to the North in the early 1900's. Those
> newly-arrived would often "stay" with family members or friends who had
> migrated there earlier until they could find a place of their own--many
> never did, given the harsh economic realities of the time,  and ended up
> "staying" with a family member or friend for long periods of time (years),
> or moving from place to place with no permanent residence in which to
> "live." As a result, in the African American community, the term "stay"
> gradually became synonymous with "live,"  though it originally referred to
> residing in temporary lodging. I hear it used often by my students who
> have established, permanent addresses.
>
> -- Margaret Lee
>
> ________________________________________
> Margaret G. Lee, Ph.D.
> Adjunct Professor of English & Linguistics
> Department of English
> Hampton University
> Hampton, VA 23668
> 757-727-5769(voice);757-727-5084(fax)
> mlee303 at yahoo.com
>
> --- On Sun, 3/8/09, Bill Palmer <w_a_palmer at BELLSOUTH.NET> wrote:
>
>
> From: Bill Palmer <w_a_palmer at BELLSOUTH.NET>
> Subject: "to stay" vs. "to live" (reside)
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Date: Sunday, March 8, 2009, 1:18 AM
>
>
> I taught for a number of years @ a historically black university in NC.
> 100% of my students used phrases like "where do you *stay*", or "I don't
> *stay* with my parents"...situations where the average white person would
> use *live*
>
> How might this have originated?
>
> Bill Palmer
>
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