he might well could of

[Jonathan Lighter]

I doubt that he made it up, because "might could have" is semi-universal in
parts of the South.  Some years ago I believe I mentioned that while these
double modals are in common use, the number of times I saw them in freshman
themes was vanishingly small.  (A half dozen times in twenty-five years?
Maybe less.)

They'd learned long ago not to write "might could" or "might should." Except
when quoting or joking, they didn't write "ain't," either.

JL

On Fri, Sep 17, 2010 at 3:32 PM, Paul Frank <paulfrank at post.harvard.edu>wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Paul Frank <paulfrank at POST.HARVARD.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: he might well could of
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 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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