ADS-L Digest - 8 May 2009 to 9 May 2009 (#2009-130)

[Betsy Lowe]

I think the use of the terms in the "the +" category are regional, and have probably been around for a long time.  As a military wife, I didn't run into them till we moved to North Carolina, the furthest south I've ever lived, and phrases like "get the mads (or 'mad') out," and "catch the ugly from his parents," are quite common around here.   I really like the phrase " get the mads out," because I have quite a temper, and I look for ways to "get the mads out."  

I also think that the rule for using "one hundred ten," vs. "one hundred and ten," is one of those arbitrary rules imposed in the 19th century that many of us were still taught in the 1960s.  There was a writer in the 19th century who fancied himself a grammarian, and he's the one who gave us the "never end a sentence with a preposition" rule, among others.  There was no rhyme or reason for many of the rules he set forth in his book, but they became accepted as gospel.  Please don't ask me where I read this; I believe it was a Bill Bryson book, but I couldn't swear to it.

Betsy Lowe
Jay and Molly's mom
910-483-2268
"I suddenly realized that
anyone doing anything
weird really wasn't that
weird at all and it was the
people saying that they 
were weird that were
weird."
Paul McCartney
  Date:    Sat, 9 May 2009 01:33:27 -0400
  From:    Herb Stahlke <hfwstahlke at GMAIL.COM>
  Subject: Re: Heard on MSNBC

  I'm guessing that you're a bit younger than I am.  Is this a
  generational or an age-graded usage?

  Herb

  On Fri, May 8, 2009 at 9:34 PM, Kari Castor <castor.kari at gmail.com> wrote:
  > ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
  > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
  > Poster:       Kari Castor <castor.kari at GMAIL.COM>
  > Subject:      Re: Heard on MSNBC
  > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  >
  > I don't know about the relative newness, but it's quite a common usage among
  > the people I know.
  > the hiv (for this type of usage, HIV is typically pronounced phonetically,
  > not spelled out) - as in, "Don't touch Paris Hilton; you'll get the hiv."
  > the stupid - as in, "That guy has a bad case of the stupid."
  > the ugly - as in, "Lucky that kid didn't catch the ugly from his parents."
  >
  >
  >
  >
  >
  > On Fri, May 8, 2009 at 8:12 PM, Herb Stahlke <hfwstahlke at gmail.com> wrote:
  >
  >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
  >> -----------------------
  >> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
  >> Poster:       Herb Stahlke <hfwstahlke at GMAIL.COM>
  >> Subject:      Heard on MSNBC
  >>
  >> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  >>
  >> Rachel Maddow frequently uses the phrase "the gay" derisively of
  >> people, usually conservative Republicans, who think homosexuality is
  >> an acquired behavior.  This evening Keith Olberman used "the funny" in
  >> a similar way when talking about whether Obama would be humorous at
  >> the Correspondents' Dinner.  Is this use of "the" + adjective a new
  >> pattern?  Obviously "the" + adjective is a common construction that's
  >> been around a long time as in "The difficult is done at once; the
  >> impossible takes a little longer."  It's this derisive or ironic use
  >> of the construction that feels new.
  >>
  >> Herb
  >>
  >> Date:    Sat, 9 May 2009 00:42:23 -0500
  From:    Kari Castor <castor.kari at GMAIL.COM>
  Subject: Re: Heard on MSNBC

  Definitely.
  I'm mid-20s.  The vast majority of people whom I've heard use that
  construction are probably under 30.



  On Sat, May 9, 2009 at 12:33 AM, Herb Stahlke <hfwstahlke at gmail.com> wrote:

  >
  Date:    Sat, 9 May 2009 01:12:06 -0500
  From:    Kari Castor <castor.kari at GMAIL.COM>
  Subject: Re: Heard on MSNBC

  There's also things like "the sex," where "the" is something like an
  intensifier:
  Wolverine is the sex = Wolverine is very sexy


  But "the sex" can also be used to indicate general awesomeness:
  This cake is the sex = This cake is delicious.

  Although there is typically some sense of the erotic or sensual even in the
  "generally awesome" usage.


  I should also mention perhaps that the social circles I typically run in
  belong to the broadly-defined "geek" subculture.  Lexicon is strongly
  influenced by the internet, gaming, computers in general, sci-fi and
  fantasy, comics, etc.

  I can't really say whether this construction of "the + noun" is as common
  outside of these circles.



  > > > >>
  > > >
  > >
  >is
  > > > >> an acquired behavior.=A0 This evening Keith Olberman used "the fun=
  ny"
  > in
  > > > >> a similar way when talking about whether Obama would be humorous a=
  t
  > > > >> the Correspondents' Dinner.=A0 Is this use of "the" + adjective a =
  new
  > > > >> pattern?=A0 > > > >>
  I guess, that's the difference between fourth-grade grammar and grad school.

      VS-)

  Tom Zurinskas wrote:
  >> And declaring
  >> something to be a rule because "perhaps there is good reason for the
  >> rule" is the equivalent of parental "because I told you so".
  >>
  >
  > Actually I said we are given rules to follow whether or not we know they are reasonable.  I guess we assume they are reasonable until we find out different.  I don't know about you, but I considered my parents' dictates "because I told you so" as rules regardless if it made sense or not.  ;).

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