[Ads-l] on accident

[Jonathan Lighter]

Equally to the point, the "baby talk" hypothesis was applied to an
entire linguistic system (or systems).

"My bad!" and "on accident" are isolated expressions that may have
originated anywhere.

JL


On Sun, Jun 19, 2016 at 5:54 AM, Margaret Lee
<0000006730deb3bf-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
> Wilson, I'm familiar with Dillard's work.  I'm talking about how he and other white linguists described Black English (the language as spoken by Black adults, not just by children) as "baby talk."  This, of course, reflects the idea of the language being 'incorrect,' 'bad English,' 'grammatically incorrect,'  'bad grammar,'  'improper English,' 'Standard English with mistakes,' etc.  And, of course, if the language was regarded as inferior, then, by extension, its speakers were regarded as inferior, even adults being regarded (and treated)  as children.
> --Margaret Lee
>
>
>       From: Wilson Gray <hwgray at gmail.com>
>  To: Margaret Lee <mlee303 at yahoo.com>
>  Sent: Saturday, June 18, 2016 11:31 PM
>  Subject: Re: on accident
>
>
> On Sat, Jun 18, 2016 at 8:03 AM, Margaret Lee <0000006730deb3bf-dmarc-request at listserv.uga.edu> wrote:
>
> Some years ago I suggested that "My bad!" had  similar origin.
>
> "Borrowing" in this case, however, may well include toddlers retaining
> the form throughout life.
>
> JL
>
> On Fri, Jun 17, 2016 at 3:35 PM, Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu> wrote:
>> Basically, with some wiggle room for just how conscious the process was or is.  It would be useful to have some empirical support on who is likely to use the "on accident" form but as I say I 'm hoping to blame it on the kids.  LH
>
> Y’all serious?! Ain’t dis some shit! Is I’m right, Margaret? Fellow-Texan Joey Lee Dillard, back in the early ’70’s, proposed just such an analysis of the origins of BE in his magnum opus,
> Black English: its history and usage in the United States
> https://books.google.com/books?id=3J2xAAAAIAAJRandom House: New York, 1972
> Did the world of dialectology catch afire after the unleashing of the  “a little child has led them” theory upon an unsuspecting academia?
> Youneverknow.
> BTW, does anyone else recall Bob Marley’s 1973 album mistitled _Catch A Fire_? The titled should be, _Catch Afire_.
> --
> -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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