Heard on The Judges: _for to_ VP (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Wilson Gray]

Yes, it's, IMO, very old-timey. Hearing someone less than half my age
use it, when even my East-TX grandparents, born in the 19th century,
didn't use it, caught my ear, the way that seeing East-TX country
cousins pour coffee from the cup into the saucer and then drink it
from there caught my eye.

The speaker was from Youngstown, OH. But it wasn't necessariy the case
that she was a native of that relatively-Northern city.

-Wilson

On Thu, Jul 8, 2010 at 10:31 AM, Mullins, Bill AMRDEC
<Bill.Mullins at us.army.mil> wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Mullins, Bill AMRDEC" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL>
> Subject:      Re: Heard on The Judges: _for to_ VP (UNCLASSIFIED)
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
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>
> My grandmother, who was from very rural east TN, would say "for to"
> conversationally.
>
> Oh Susannah:
>
> "I'm going to Louisiana,
> My true love for to see"
>
>
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On
>> Behalf Of George Thompson
>> Sent: Thursday, July 08, 2010 9:23 AM
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>> Subject: Re: Heard on The Judges: _for to_ VP
>>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
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>> --------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       George Thompson <george.thompson at NYU.EDU>
>> Subject:      Re: Heard on The Judges: _for to_ VP
>>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> --------
>>
>> I have the impression that "for to" is fairly common in folk poetry, I
>> suppose to help maintain the meter.
>>
>> Can't think of examples, though.
>>
>> Actually, Jimmie Rogers, Blue Yodel #9 -- the one with Louis Armstrong
>> backing him, and "Miss Lil" on piano -- his girl gave him $5 for to
> buy
>> him some clothes.  (from memory)
>>
>> GAT
>>
>> George A. Thompson
>> Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern
>> Univ. Pr., 1998, but nothing much lately.
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Margaret Lee <mlee303 at YAHOO.COM>
>> Date: Thursday, July 8, 2010 6:50 am
>> Subject: Re: Heard on The Judges: _for to_ VP
>> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>>
>> > The words to one of the so-called Negro spirituals, "Swing Low,
> Sweet
>> > Chariot," are, "Swing low, sweet chariot, coming _for to_ carry me
>> home."
>> >
>> >
>> > --Margaret Lee
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > On Tue, Jul 6, 2010 at 6:28 PM, Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>> > >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
>> ------------
>> > >
>> > > Thirty-ish, black female speaker living in Youngstown, OH:
>> > >
>> > > "I ain't riding in no hooptie with no *bungee cord* _for to_ hold
>> up
>> > > the bumper!"
>> > >
>> > > >>
>> > > > --Wilson
>> > > ---
>> > > 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.
>> > > -Mark Twain
>> > >
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--
-Wilson
–––
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.
–Mark Twain

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