[Ads-l] WE KEEP US SAFE

[Amy West]

On 9/26/22 00:00, ADS-L automatic digest system wrote:
> 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).


I think a big difference between your examples, Prof. Horn, and Mark's 
is that the "WE KEEP US SAFE" doesn't have a precedent to create the 
contrast/cohesion with. That is, the "me" or "us" that's retained in the 
construction is often explicitly echoing/repeating the "me" or "us" of a 
preceding clause:

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)

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)


Having said that, it didn't strike me as ungrammatical either. It struck 
me as a stylistic/usage choice, and one that did not sound funny to me.

The connection to the title that Chris made notwithstanding, I think 
that if it had be "WE KEEP OURSELVES SAFE" I would interpret the 
"OURSELVES" as meaning a group of individuals as individuals (that is, 
it is your own individual responsibility to keep yourself safe as an 
individual); with the "US", I interpret it as a group of individuals as 
a group (that is, it's your responsibility to look out for yourself and 
others within this group in order to keep the group safe).

---Amy West

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