[Ads-l] Self-deprecating Gen-Z "Not me..."

[Ben Zimmer]

The more general frame "Not X" (typically "Not NP + gerund") was the winner
in our special "snowclone/phrasal template of the year" category for 2022
ADS WOTY. The gloss we gave was "ironic framing device expressing an
attitude of mock horror or incredulity." Look for further discussion in a
future installment of "Among the New Words" in American Speech.

On Sun, Apr 30, 2023 at 4:49 PM Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
wrote:

> Thanks Garson! If I have the hang of it, I'm fairly confident the ones
> accompanying posted selfies are instances of the construction in question,
> while the contrastive ones that have the form "(that's) not me X, it's me
> Y" or vice versa are not.
>
> LH
>
> On Sun, Apr 30, 2023 at 4:37 PM ADSGarson O'Toole <
> adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > It is sometimes difficult for me to know whether a person is being
> > self-deprecating.
> >
> > [Begin excerpt]
> > https://twitter.com/davidbadash/status/956094071
> > David Badash @davidbadash
> > @ezrabutler OK. Confession: I cried. Totally hadn't expected to.
> > Highly recommend it. Have you seen it? (Billy Elliot. Not me crying.)
> > 10:29 PM · Oct 11, 2008
> > [End excerpt]
> >
> > [Begin excerpt]
> > https://twitter.com/brianwurzell/status/1269654917
> > Brian Wurzell @brianwurzell
> > Up and at it. Sundays are exhausting on the body. Heading out for a
> > run just to make sure it's Sundays and not me being super out of
> > shape.
> > 10:50 AM · Mar 2, 2009
> > [End excerpt]
> >
> > [Begin excerpt]
> > https://twitter.com/omgitsclaire91/status/2224344596
> > Claire Walsh @omgitsclaire91
> > that's me quoting m. ward by the way- not me being emo because i don't
> > have a boy friend.
> > 12:23 PM · Jun 18, 2009
> > [End excerpt]
> >
> > [Begin excerpt]
> > https://twitter.com/DeJLoaf/status/513755814926880769
> > Who Dis Woman? @DeJLoaf
> > Wanna Be Apart of History. Fuck With Me!
> >
> > And That's Not Me Being Cocky. That's Me Being Confident.
> > 2:25 PM · Sep 21, 2014
> > [End excerpt]
> >
> > [Begin excerpt]
> > https://twitter.com/KellyCollin_/status/1651699411158814723?s=20
> > Kelly Collins @KellyCollin_
> > Not me being stupidly happy to be allowed to drink wine again 😂
> > 5:26 PM · Apr 27, 2023
> > [End excerpt]
> >
> >
> > [Begin excerpt]
> > https://twitter.com/daissiesun/status/1652655969523073025?s=20
> > kerl. ✨ @daissiesun
> > HI GOD ITS ME AGAIN NOT ME BEING GREEDY BUT PLEASE MAKE THEM HAVE AN
> > OFFICIAL DUET SONG NO IM SO HAPPY WITH CHAN CHOP TUA ENG WELA TI YU
> > KAP TER DUET BUT IF WE CAN MAKE IT OFFICIAL??? I WILL FAINT FIRST THEN
> > CHERISH THE MOMENT FOREVERRR
> >
> > #KonnecConxBillkin
> > 8:47 AM · Apr 30, 2023
> > [End excerpt]
> >
> > On Sun, Apr 30, 2023 at 3:53 PM Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > A student here is investigating the apparently Gen Z construction “Not
> > me” + gerund.  I see from googling sites like
> > https://stayhipp.com/glossary/what-does-not-me-mean-on-social-media/ <
> > https://stayhipp.com/glossary/what-does-not-me-mean-on-social-media/>
> > that “not me” is a meme on its own, without the following gerund, with
> the
> > attribution to “Gen-Z” and the observation that it is "used by an
> > individual to poke fun at their own embarrassing, toxic, or self-absorbed
> > behavior”
> > >
> > > The student is looking at examples he’s observed with gerunds, as in
> > “Not me being lazy”, and I see TikTok illustrations of “Not me being
> > goofy”. Apparently “not y’all” exists too.  Is there any literature on
> > this, or speculation on its origin?
> > >
> > > LH
> > >
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > 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