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Page 2 of 2 < 1 2 Topic Options #116049 - 11/20/03 08:07 AM Re: A question of prescriptive grammar dellfarmer newbie Registered: 10/13/03 Posts: 36 Loc: Vermont (US) In reply to: So what does a predescriptivist do? Once the farmer takes his wife, and the wife takes the cheese, I believe that the 'predescriptivist', like the cheese, stands alone. I ain't got no clue on the y'all's question, though. Ron. _________________________ Ron. Top #116050 - 11/20/03 12:02 PM Re: A question of prescriptive grammar Jackie Carpal Tunnel Registered: 03/15/00 Posts: 11577 Loc: Louisville, Kentucky I ain't got no clue on the y'all's question, though. That's 'cause you're a Yankee, Ron. As I sternly lectured a friend just this morning, "y'all's" is NOT the same thing as "your-all's". Not. at. all. These distinctions are an acquired art form, my dear. Top #116051 - 11/25/03 07:32 PM Re: A question of prescriptive grammar Zed Pooh-Bah Registered: 08/27/02 Posts: 2154 Loc: British Columbia, Canada y'all's crazy as bed bugs. (but it makes me feel at home ) Top #116052 - 11/26/03 06:26 AM Re: A question of prescriptive grammar dxb Pooh-Bah Registered: 03/06/02 Posts: 1692 Loc: UK I know a pub called "The Four Alls", but I doubt if there's any connection - aside from the beer that is. Top #116053 - 11/26/03 07:53 AM Re: A question of prescriptive grammar WhitmanO'Neill Carpal Tunnel Registered: 03/13/01 Posts: 4189 Loc: Rio Grande, Cape May County, N... A friend of mine from Richmond, Virginia, used to say, "How y'all doin'?" whenever he greeted me. Meaning me, alone. Top #116054 - 11/26/03 08:47 AM Re: How y'all doin' Faldage Carpal Tunnel Registered: 12/01/00 Posts: 13653 I believe: A) You're going to find this usage in stock phrases irregardless of whether or not one or more people are involved or not. 2) Direct questioning of speakers is not the most accurate way to record usage, as I am sure anyone who has been involved in collecting dialect information can attest. Þ) Someone is going to misunderstand my intent in 2) Top #116055 - 11/26/03 09:07 AM Re: How y'all doin' Jackie Carpal Tunnel Registered: 03/15/00 Posts: 11577 Loc: Louisville, Kentucky misunderstand my intent in 2 [waving hand in the air e] Did you mean because if you ask directly, that focuses the person's attention, and thus is likely to affect the output? Top #116056 - 11/26/03 09:21 AM Re: How y'all doin' Faldage Carpal Tunnel Registered: 12/01/00 Posts: 13653 Yeah, Jackie. That's pretty much it. A classic example might be when Bill and Hill gave Skaneateles, NY its fifteen minutes a few years ago and the news guys asked the mayor how to pronounce the name of the town. He distinctly said, "Skay nee atlas," and then proceded to pronounce it "Skinny Atlas," when he was just saying it later on. Top Page 2 of 2 < 1 2 Previous Topic Index Next Topic Preview Hop to: General Topics ------   Information and announcements   Q&A about words   Wordplay and fun   Words and languages in schools   Miscellany   Weekly Themes   Looking for (writers, speakers, ...) (Old) Weekly themes. (have been consolidated into a single forum above) ------   Words from medicine   Beheading words   Meta-words   Words from classical mythology   Animal Safari   Words with unusual etymologies   Eponyms or words derived from people's names.   Loanwords from German   English as a global language Moderator:  Jackie  Print Topic Switch to Threaded Mode View profile Send a PM View homepage Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM View homepage Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM Add to your Watched Users View posts View profile Send a PM View homepage Add to your Watched Users View posts Forum Stats 8419 Members 16 Forums 13684 Topics 209689 Posts Max Online: 3341 @ 12/09/11 02:15 PM Newest Members fgjhgjk, Nora Francis, sabosophie, Lore Lorena, lukaslini 8418 Registered Users Who's Online 1 registered (tsuwm), 33 Guests and 2 Spiders online. Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod Top Posters (30 Days) LukeJavan8 86 jenny jenny 67 wofahulicodoc 46 endymion6 43 BranShea 35 Rhubarb Commando 23 Buffalo Shrdlu 19 Faldage 18 zmjezhd 16 Jackie 15 May Su M Tu W Th F Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

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