[Ads-l] WE KEEP US SAFE

[Mark Mandel]

Ahh. Thanks for the detailed exposition.

Mark

On Sun, Sep 25, 2022, 7:59 PM Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu> wrote:

> It's not really ungrammatical. As a number of linguists (me included) have
> discussed, contrastive focus pronominals are natural and occur widely in a
> context in which either the pronoun or antecedent contrasts with an
> explicitly or implicitly evoked alternative--but only if the pronoun is
> first or second person. (In the same context, names are possible, but not
> third person non-reflexive pronouns.). Examples from a paper I published a
> while back and an earlier one by Gregory Ward:
>
> a. He nods but I’m not sure he believes me. I’m not sure *I* believe me.
>
> (Sandra Scoppetone mystery novel I’ll Be Leaving You Always, 1993, p. 82)
>
> b. It was like an out-of-body experience. Nobody wanted to look at me.
> Hell, *I*
>
> wouldn’t look at me either.
>
> (ex-Oakland A’s pitcher Dennis Eckersley, on aftermath of giving up
> celebrated
>
> game-winning World Series home run to the gimpy Kirk Gibson, 15
>
> Oct. 1988)
>
> c. “New York didn’t destroy me. *I *destroyed me. I take full
> responsibility.”
>
> (Darryl Strawberry, quoted in NYTMagazine p. 58, 15 Apr. 2001)
>
> d. “Let me toast you.” She toasted me. You’ll notice she didn’t offer me a
> drink
>
> so that I could toastme. (Ed Gorman (2001), Save the Last Dance for Me, p.
>
> 135)
>
> e. “Teams are going to be waiting. People expect us to win; *we* expect us
> to
>
> win.” (Jason Sehorn of the division-winning Giants, quoted in NYT 10 Sep.
>
> 1998, C7)
>
> f. “You told me, that’s the important thing. Besides, you don’t fancy you
> like I
>
> do.” (from Neurotica, SueMargolis novel, 1999, p. 272
>
> In the cases above, it's subject contrast that's relevant, as in "*We *keep
> us safe", contrasting with X keeps us safe for some other X that you might
> unwisely depend on to do so. (Note example (e) above for another 1st plural
> case.) But object contrast works too, again only for 1st and 2nd person
> pronouns (and names).
>
> a. I believed in you. I always believed in you. I just didn’t believe in
> *me*. (Blane
>
> to Andie, last line of Pretty in Pink, 1986  movie)
>
> b. “You’re looking at me like I’m some kind of monster.” I shook my head.
> “I’m
>
> not looking at you. I’m looking at *me*.” (from 1994 Stephen Greenleaf
> mystery
>
> novel, False Conception, p. 268)
>
> c. You can’t afford to pay *you*. How are you gonna pay me? (from The
> Practice,
>
> ABC television drama)
>
> d. TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOURSELF. YOU BELONG TO YOU. (ad for Philadelphia
>
> Blue Cross, cited in a paper by Gregory Ward from 1983)
>
>
> The last of course is possible only because it implicitly contrasts with
> the (1929!) verse in which the same line occurs but ending with "me".
>
> Some examples with names:
>
>
> a. JR: Cliff is in the hospital because of you.
>
>     Sue Ellen: No, Cliff is in the hospital because of *Cliff*. (fromDallas
> episode)
>
> b. “Maybe she [= Amanda] loves the boy too much.”
>
>      “Amanda loves *Amanda*.” (from1985 Martha Grimes novel, The Deer Leap)
>
> c. “Baxter looks out for *Baxter*” [referring to a local politician;
> implicit contrast with whom he SHOULD look out for]
>
>      (Philadelphia Inquirer editorial headline, 30 Oct. 1982)
>
> d. Jeff doesn’t run for glory. He runs for *Jeff*. (Advil commercial)
>
>
> LH
>
>
>
> On Sun, Sep 25, 2022 at 5:33 PM Mark Mandel <markamandel at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Thanks, Chris. That connection seems undeniable. But what is the
> motivation
> > for the quasi-ungrammatical construction there in the title, in the first
> > place?
> >
> > Mark
> >
> > On Sun, Sep 25, 2022, 4:27 PM Chris Waigl <chris at lascribe.net> wrote:
> >
> > > It's the title of a book - I believe the flyer is likely a direct
> > reference
> > > to the book: http://www.beacon.org/We-Keep-Us-Safe-P1556.aspx
> > >
> > > On Sun, Sep 25, 2022 at 6:59 AM Mark Mandel <markamandel at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > > "WE KEEP US SAFE" is the headline of a sign posted on many light
> poles
> > > and
> > > > other locations in my neighborhood in Philadelphia. It seems to be a
> > > flawed
> > > > reflexive, where the object, though semantically identical to the
> > > subject,
> > > > is in the simple accusative rather than the reflexive.
> > > >
> > > > But I think the writer was seeing a semantic difference: addressing
> > *each
> > > > reader* with a call to action to protect *the entire community*: "We
> > > > [individually] keep us [collectively] safe." I've redacted the name
> and
> > > > address.
> > > >
> > > > ---------
> > > > NOTICE OF CEASE & DESIST AGAINST
> > > > **************
> > > > LANDLORD AT ***************
> > > >
> > > > 1. HE HAS NO RENTAL LICENSE
> > > > 2. HE HAS BEEN OPENLY HARASSING, ABUSING, AND TAMPERING WITH THE
> > > UTILITIES
> > > > OF HIS TENANTS
> > > > 3. HE IS KNOWN TO ASSAULT NEIGHBORS AND BYSTANDERS ON THE STREET
> > > >
> > > > BE AWARE!
> > > > WE KEEP US SAFE!
> > > > ---------
> > > >
> > > > Opinions?
> > > >
> > > > — Mark Mandel
> > > >
> > > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > Chris Waigl . chris.waigl at gmail.com . chris at lascribe.net
> > > http://eggcorns.lascribe.net . http://chryss.eu
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> > >
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

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