I am what I am ....

[Dennis Baron]

I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together.
____________________
Dennis Baron
Professor of English and Linguistics
Department of English
University of Illinois
608 S. Wright St.
Urbana, IL 61801

office: 217-244-0568
fax: 217-333-4321

http://www.illinois.edu/goto/debaron

read the Web of Language:
http://www.illinois.edu/goto/weboflanguage








On Apr 22, 2010, at 7:55 PM, Laurence Horn wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: I am what I am ....
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> At 7:43 PM -0500 4/22/10, Dennis Baron wrote:
>> dare I say the much loathed, "it is what it is"?
>
> So we have the 1st person and 3rd person versions.  The best I can
> think of for the 2d person isn't quite as tautologous: either "You
> are what you eat" or (gratia Bill Parcells, in honor of NFL draft
> day) "You are what your record says you are".
>
> LH
>
>>
>> ____________________
>> Dennis Baron
>> Professor of English and Linguistics
>> Department of English
>> University of Illinois
>> 608 S. Wright St.
>> Urbana, IL 61801
>>
>> office: 217-244-0568
>> fax: 217-333-4321
>>
>> http://www.illinois.edu/goto/debaron
>>
>> read the Web of Language:
>> http://www.illinois.edu/goto/weboflanguage
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Apr 22, 2010, at 6:59 PM, David Barnhart wrote:
>>
>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>> -----------------------
>>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>> Poster:       David Barnhart <dbarnhart at HIGHLANDS.COM>
>>> Subject:      I am what I am ....
>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>> Is there a technical term for such silly phrases?  Of course, the
>>> end of the
>>> statement is "a yam."
>>>
>>> What similar ones are there?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> David
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Barnhart at highlands.com
>>>
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org