he might well could of

[Paul Frank]

Oops. Typing too fast. "Might well could have" gets eight googlits -
which were for all I know typed by the infinite monkey of theorem
fame. The point and the question stand: how come this phrase which
sounds so natural gets so few hits. Did Cormac McCarthy make it up?

Paul


On Fri, Sep 17, 2010 at 9:25 PM, Paul Frank <paulfrank at post.harvard.edu> wrote:
> Reading Cormac McCarthy's All The Pretty Horse's I've just come across
> the phrase "he might well could of." The phrase gets a single googlit,
> from McCarthy's book. "He might well could have" yields zero hits. So
> I'm asking myself: I presume that McCarthy has an ear for the language
> as she is spoke, or was spoke, in the places and times where he sets
> his books. How come "might well could of" (without the "he" in front)
> gets zero hits, as does "he might well could of"? "Might well could
> of" yields eight hits. Is it because it's pretty much a nonce phrase?
> Or because it's the sort of phrase no one writes down?
>
> Here's the passage:
>
> "You think he really done that?
> Yeah. I think probably he did.
> John Grady nodded. He might well could of."
>
> Cormac McCarthy, All The Pretty Horses, Kindle edition, 31% into the book.
>
> I just love that "might well could of."
>
> And by way of a lagniappe, or thanks, for picking your learned brains,
> here's another passage:
>
> "His father smoked. He watched him.
>
> You still seein that Barnett girl?
>
> He shook his head.
>
> She quit you or did you quit her?
>
> I don't know.
>
> That means she quit you.
>
> Yeah.
>
> His father nodded. He smoked."
>
>
> Cheers,
> Paul
>
> Paul Frank
> Translator
> German, French, Italian > English
> paulfrank at post.harvard.edu
> paul.frank at bfs.admin.ch
>

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