LL-L "Syntax" 2004.01.06 (11) [E]

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From: Ed Alexander <edsells at cogeco.ca>
Subject: LL-L "Syntax" 2004.01.06 (05) [A/E]

At 10:43 AM 02/06/04 -0800, Mark Brooks wrote:

>I can speak about one brand of English still current in Texas.  It's pretty
>common to hear people say, "I'm gonna get me a beer."  Or, "He's gonna get
>him a haircut."  It's considered sort of substandard or, perhaps,
uneducated
>speech.  For me (myself), it feels homey and familiar.  I probably wouldn't
>use that construction at work, but I would use it at home.  What I would
use
>at work is, "I'm going to get myself a beer," or even simpler "I'm going to
>get a beer."

Actually, I find this form very, very common in Ontario, and in every part
of the U.S. that I ever lived (Vermont, Philadelphia, Chicago).  It does
seem to be a characteristic of more lower class English.  To say, "I'm
gonna have me a beer" seems a bit uncouth, but for someone to say, "Why
don't we go out and get us a pizza," is very normal sounding, and
structurally identical and perfectly interchangeable with "Why don't we go
out and get ourselves a pizza", though the latter is a bit more formal
sounding.

Ed Alexander
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

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