lie/lay alternation - not US

[Ron butters]

LAY is subjunctive. LIE is infinitive.

Sent from my iPad

On Oct 4, 2011, at 11:09 PM, Benjamin Barrett <gogaku at IX.NETCOM.COM> wrote:

> In the song "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol, the words lay and lie appear as intransitive verbs.
>
> One stanza has both and is repeated four times (http://www.elyrics.net/read/s/snow-patrol-lyrics/chasing-cars-lyrics.html):
>
> If I lay here
> If I just lay here
> Would you lie with me
> And just forget the world?
>
> The enunciation is clear in each instance. Although it's possible that "lie" means "tell a lie," it looks like euphonic alternation to me.
>
> The song was written by Gary Lightbody (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Lightbody), who was born in Northern Ireland and went to university in Scotland.
>
> Benjamin Barrett
> Seattle, WA
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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