belong to be in the penitentiary

Fri Sep 23 17:44:45 UTC 2011

Can I ask one of the native speakers (or Joan qua DARE-maven) whether the negative version of this, "doesn't belong to be", is characteristically used to mean 'ought not to be', 'not supposed to be' rather than merely 'isn't obliged to be', 'doesn't need to be'?  (I don't have a DARE on me at the moment, or a south Midland speaker.)

LH

On Sep 23, 2011, at 12:33 PM, Joan H. Hall wrote:

> DARE has an entry for "belong," saying: "Preceding infin: to be obliged,
> need, ought; to be accustomed. [Engl dial] Sth S Midl"   Quotes are from
> 1888 to 1968,
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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