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Carpal Tunnel
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Quote:
It's a line from a song - a very old song.
<sigh>
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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I was just joking around more than anything with my diagram attempt.
It is an interesting problem though. One way to approach it might be to diagram the same thought in standard grammar: Are you, or are you not, my baby? (Which has a funny courtroom sort of ring to it.) It might be more accurate to translate it as Are you indeed (or truly), or are you not, my sweeheart?
The song lyric is doing three things as far as I can tell that make it deviate from standard grammar:
(1) subject-verb disagreement ("you is")
(2) use of "ain't" for aren't (A-okay in my book)
(3) inserting "is" as an affirmative counterpoint to the negative modifier: "is you is or is you ain't..." You could also say that this "is" is substituting for any of the following: indeed, truly, sincerely, really, seriously or honestly.
So try diagramming "Are you [indeed], or are you not my baby?" However you dealt with the "not" is how you could deal with the bracketed affirmative. Then just translate everything back to the nonstandard grammar of the song lyric. By the time you finish, you may come to the conclusion that the original lyric expresses the thought quite well, and the more formal expressions ain't got nothin' to offer in terms of improvement.
Last edited by Alex Williams; 05/31/06 03:20 PM.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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I got a gal that's always late
Every time we have a date
But I love her
Yes I love her
I'm gonna walk right up to her gate
And see if I can get it straight
Cause I want her
I'm gonna ask her
Is you is or is you ain't my baby?
The way you're actin' lately makes me doubt
Yous is still my baby-baby
Seems my flame in your heart's done gone out
A woman is a creature that has always been strange
Just when you're sure of one
You find she's gone and made a change
Is you is or is you ain't my baby
Maybe baby's found somebody new
Or is my baby still my baby true?
Is you is or is you ain't my baby?
The way you're actin' lately makes me doubt
Yous is still my baby-baby
Seems my flame in your heart's done gone out
A woman is a creature that has always been strange
Just when you're sure of one
You find she's gone and made a change
Is you is or is you ain't my baby
Maybe baby's found somebody new
Or is my baby still my baby true?
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Carpal Tunnel
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thank you for that blanket obviousizing and liverish chopping, Fr Steve.
-ron o.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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<sigh> Why the sigh, my friend?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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...I would venture a guess that it was elicited by 1994 being called very old.
Eye of the beholder, sez I. These days I don't consider people entitled to call themselves "old" (merely by virtue of the numbers) until the reach 88 or so. Maybe only 87. Though one can certainly be old at a lower age...
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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Quote:
...I would venture a guess that it was elicited by 1994 being called very old.
Eye of the beholder, sez I. These days I don't consider people entitled to call themselves "old" (merely by virtue of the numbers) until the reach 88 or so. Maybe only 87. Though one can certainly be old at a lower age...
The song is from 1944, making it 62 years old, which for a person is not VERY old, but for popular music is ancient.
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Carpal Tunnel
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the sigh, actually a link to the song's lyric, was in response to FF saying it was a very old song and leaving us sort of hanging. but, it turns out to have been a presage of FS's posting of the lyric herein. anyhow, it was just me being.. -joe angstrom 
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Carpal Tunnel
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I blessed the new house of an 87-year-old woman yesterday and, afterwards, I let slip some remark about feeling old. She quickly corrected me, being very much my senior, and called me "kiddo" to drive home her point. It is about perspective, eh?
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veteran
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veteran
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Quote:
I blessed the new house of an 87-year-old woman yesterday and, afterwards, I let slip some remark about feeling old. She quickly corrected me, being very much my senior, and called me "kiddo" to drive home her point. It is about perspective, eh?
Maybe. But it is also about consideration of those to whom you are speaking.
And maybe it is none of my business but why would a 87-year-old woman want to move to a new house? Visit her often, Father Steve, I fear that she won't be very happy there, old folk need familiar surroundings.
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