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

[RonButters at AOL.COM]

Well, really, who knows? Etymologies based on anecdotal data supplied from 
memory of conversations from 40 years ago can have all sorts of flaws. That is 
why it is pretty much worthless.

In a message dated 3/9/09 12:51:33 PM, thnidu at GMAIL.COM writes:


> On Mon, Mar 9, 2009 at 8:41 AM, <ronbutters at aol.com> wrote:
> >
> > So they were just using "stay" in the usual sense, not the sense of 
> 'dwell'.
> 
> That's not clear to me from Margaret's post. You seem to be inferring
> that they were talking about where the visitor was sleeping and
> keeping their traveling possessions during the visit. From the post,
> though, it could equally be the case that the visits were simply the
> occasions of Margaret's conversations, and the older relatives were
> talking about where they and other members of the family were
> permanently residing (dwelling).
> 
> m a m
> 
> >
> > From: Margaret Lee <mlee303 at YAHOO.COM>
> > Date:     Mon, 9 Mar 2009 03:56:16
> > In response to Ron Butters' comment below:
> >
> > I have evidence from my own family-- aunts and uncles, and older 
> cousins--who migrated from rural Virginia to northern states during the late 1930's 
> and '40's aand into the '50's. On their return visits to family in Virginia or 
> my visits with them, they would often talk about their housing situations 
> (who "stayed" where, with whom, and why) so I have observed their and their 
> children's use of "stay" for "live" most of my life.
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> 




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