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

[Laurence Horn]

D’oh!  I wuz dere, Charley!

> On Apr 30, 2023, at 8:00 PM, Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> 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
>>> 
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>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>> 
>> 
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>> 
> 
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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