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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 36
newbie
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newbie
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 36 |
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.
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
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.
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,154
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,154 |
y'all's crazy as bed bugs. (but it makes me feel at home )
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Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692 |
I know a pub called "The Four Alls", but I doubt if there's any connection - aside from the beer that is.
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Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,189
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,189 |
A friend of mine from Richmond, Virginia, used to say, "How y'all doin'?" whenever he greeted me. Meaning me, alone.
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Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
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)
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
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?
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Joined: Dec 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
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.
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