Comments on: My English Is Going South, Part Tee-You http://xrlq.com/2008/03/01/my-english-is-going-south-part-tee-you/ Politische Kommentare mit Snarkenremarken Mon, 14 May 2012 18:16:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: caltechgirl http://xrlq.com/2008/03/01/my-english-is-going-south-part-tee-you/comment-page-1/#comment-382873 caltechgirl Thu, 06 Mar 2008 19:01:11 +0000 http://xrlq.com/2008/03/01/my-english-is-going-south-part-tee-you/#comment-382873 the proper phraseology is "might could" . Jeez. the proper phraseology is “might could” . Jeez.

]]> By: anonymous http://xrlq.com/2008/03/01/my-english-is-going-south-part-tee-you/comment-page-1/#comment-380298 anonymous Wed, 05 Mar 2008 06:40:45 +0000 http://xrlq.com/2008/03/01/my-english-is-going-south-part-tee-you/#comment-380298 There is evidence that double modals (e.g. "might should") originated in the British Isles, especially in Scotland: http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0003-1283(199324)68%3A4%3C430%3AEFBSOD%3E2.0.CO%3B2-1 http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/corpus/search/document.php?documentid=594 There's really nothing wrong with double modals. English was never a top-down language. Most of the hard-and-fast rules of grammar that we know today were imposed in the 1800's by snobs wanting to Latinize English, which is an impossible task (but some of their rules took, so we are forever chastised for split infinitives and prepositions at the end of sentences, despite centuries of common usage for both). There is evidence that double modals (e.g. “might should”) originated in the British Isles, especially in Scotland:

http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0003-1283(199324)68%3A4%3C430%3AEFBSOD%3E2.0.CO%3B2-1

http://www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk/corpus/search/document.php?documentid=594

There’s really nothing wrong with double modals. English was never a top-down language. Most of the hard-and-fast rules of grammar that we know today were imposed in the 1800′s by snobs wanting to Latinize English, which is an impossible task (but some of their rules took, so we are forever chastised for split infinitives and prepositions at the end of sentences, despite centuries of common usage for both).

]]> By: Xrlq http://xrlq.com/2008/03/01/my-english-is-going-south-part-tee-you/comment-page-1/#comment-379893 Xrlq Mon, 03 Mar 2008 21:52:05 +0000 http://xrlq.com/2008/03/01/my-english-is-going-south-part-tee-you/#comment-379893 The difference between <i>immigrate</i> and <i>emigrate</i> is coming vs. going. The difference between immigrate and emigrate is coming vs. going.

]]> By: tgirsch http://xrlq.com/2008/03/01/my-english-is-going-south-part-tee-you/comment-page-1/#comment-379885 tgirsch Mon, 03 Mar 2008 21:26:56 +0000 http://xrlq.com/2008/03/01/my-english-is-going-south-part-tee-you/#comment-379885 Hmm, I would have said <i>emigrate</i>. Maybe that's a Yank thing, too. Hmm, I would have said emigrate. Maybe that’s a Yank thing, too.

]]> By: Pigilito http://xrlq.com/2008/03/01/my-english-is-going-south-part-tee-you/comment-page-1/#comment-379623 Pigilito Sun, 02 Mar 2008 14:54:44 +0000 http://xrlq.com/2008/03/01/my-english-is-going-south-part-tee-you/#comment-379623 Be careful that you don't go too native. Be careful that you don’t go too native.

]]> By: Dana http://xrlq.com/2008/03/01/my-english-is-going-south-part-tee-you/comment-page-1/#comment-379601 Dana Sun, 02 Mar 2008 12:00:15 +0000 http://xrlq.com/2008/03/01/my-english-is-going-south-part-tee-you/#comment-379601 Son, <i>you</i> chose to immigrate to the Confederate States of America, so you can damned well learn the language! :) Son, you chose to immigrate to the Confederate States of America, so you can damned well learn the language! :)

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