Coworkers with/colleagues with (was: Re: A logical extension, I reckon)

[Laurence Horn]

On Aug 14, 2013, at 5:33 PM, Dan Goncharoff wrote:

> All kidding aside, I don't see the construction "I'm N with" to be that odd
> -- "I'm friends with" sounds good, for example. Why do other relationships
> present a problem?
>
> DanG

I'm not sure there's a why, which is often the case with collocations--"I'm spouses with X" is certainly odder than "I'm friends with", and perhaps "I'm sisters/brothers with" somewhere in between. The "colleagues" one seems natural to me, maybe because it extends from "friends" in a way the others don't.  In fact, testing the hypothesis, for me "I'm partners with Chris" sounds fine in the business partners sense but much odder in the life/relationship partner sense, while "Chris and I are partners" swings both ways.  YMMV.

L
>
>
> On Wed, Aug 14, 2013 at 5:25 PM, Neal Whitman <nwhitman at ameritech.net>wrote:
>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Neal Whitman <nwhitman at AMERITECH.NET>
>> Subject:      Coworkers with/colleagues with (was: Re: A logical
>> extension, I
>>              reckon)
>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> It struck my ear as odd when someone wrote me in an email a few weeks ago
>> that she was "colleagues with" someone else. It looks like "be enemies
>> with" is out there, too:
>>
>> http://www.google.com/search?q=%22i'm+enemies+with%22&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari
>>
>> Neal
>>
>> On Aug 14, 2013, at 4:45 PM, Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>>
>>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>> Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
>>> Subject:      A logical extension, I reckon
>>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>> Heard:
>>>
>>> "I'm *co-workers with" Kim.
>>>
>>> I'm late to the party, as usual:
>>>
>>> hey hey, hey - Customers
>>> Suck!<http://www.customerssuck.com/board/showthread.php?t=3D2561>
>>> www.customerssuck.com =E2=80=BA ... =E2=80=BA
>>> Orientation<http://www.customerssuck.com/board/forumdisplay.php?f=3D3>
>>> =E2=80=BA New members <
>> http://www.customerssuck.com/board/forumdisplay.php=
>>> ?f=3D5>=E2=80=8E
>>> <
>> https://encrypted.google.com/search?num=3D30&safe=3Doff&hl=3Den-us&authuse=
>>>
>> r=3D0&site=3Dwebhp&q=3D%22I'm+co+workers+with%22&spell=3D1&sa=3DX&ei=3D-OkL=
>>> UpihGsKIyAGWqIDQDQ&ved=3D0CCkQvwUoAA&biw=3D1920&bih=3D992#>
>>>
>>>  -
>>>  <
>> http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=3Dcache:oNZi95lq96wJ:www=
>>> .
>> customerssuck.com/board/showthread.php%3Ft%3D2561+&cd=3D5&hl=3Den&ct=3Dcln=
>>> k&gl=3Dus>
>>>
>>> Sep 3, _2006_
>>> I'm *co-workers with* at least two other people on here
>>>
>>> via a most trivial search.
>>> --=20
>>> -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
>>>
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
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>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>
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