Cheesy FL-Vol
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Post by Cheesy FL-Vol on Jan 8, 2020 19:56:44 GMT -5
What the heck is up with the elimination of two little words, “to be”?
For example, “something needs done” instead of “something needs to be done”.
I had never heard this until I married DH and it drives me crazy!
He just told me the cat needs fed. ACK!
FWIW, I was born and raised in east WI, and he was born and raised in NWPA. All of his siblings use this word elimination as well.
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Jan 8, 2020 20:02:22 GMT -5
have to be honest, I read your OP waiting to see "Pittsburgh" after having that almost exact exchange with a good friend of mine from PGH. I don't get it, either.
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Jan 8, 2020 20:10:32 GMT -5
What the heck is up with the elimination of two little words, “to be”? For example, “something needs done” instead of “something needs to be done”. I had never heard this until I married DH and it drives me crazy! He just told me the cat needs fed. ACK! FWIW, I was born and raised in east WI, and he was born and raised in NWPA. All of his siblings use this word elimination as well. I'm stumbling over the lack of 'to be' in "Something needs done." Any other expressions lacking key words?
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Jan 8, 2020 20:15:40 GMT -5
Years and years ago, I was on a bus in south Florida and some guy clad in typical cowboy dress sat next to me. We struck up a conversation. At one point while we conversed, he said in the twangiest accent, "Yu tawk jus lawk they do on tay-vay." I said thank you.
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Post by empress of self-improvement on Jan 9, 2020 11:17:55 GMT -5
I got a lot of that too when I went to school in Colorado. I don't see how since I know how to pronounce the letter R!!!!
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Jan 9, 2020 14:33:42 GMT -5
I first encountered the missing "to be" in the Air Force when I had the opportunity to interact with people from different socioeconomic groups and different regions of the country. I have to admit that I view it as an element of a substandard dialect, but I tend to be cranky about linguistic anomalies that annoy me. Interestingly, there is a regional British dialect that has a similar solecism using the gerund rather than the participle ("that needs developing; that needs working on). In my old age, I am trying not to be so judgmental. People speak as they hear those around them speak when they are growing up. Sometimes they have the good fortune to learn better ways. Sometimes they don't. I am training myself to understand that it is not a reflection on their character. (I still think it's annoying, though. I can't help it. But that says more about me than it does about them.)
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Jan 9, 2020 14:37:05 GMT -5
I have a question - wondering if this is a Midwest thing. at least the one poster here that says this, a LOT, is from the Midwest. what does "like to _____" mean? I can go find a quote, but the usage that first caught my eye was in saying someone "like to died..." hmm....maybe a full quote would help. will edit this post.
ETA:
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Jan 9, 2020 14:42:03 GMT -5
I have a question - wondering if this is a Midwest thing. at least the one poster here that says this, a LOT, is from the Midwest. what does "like to _____" mean? I can go find a quote, but the usage that first caught my eye was in saying someone "like to died..." hmm....maybe a full quote would help. will edit this post. Yeah, that's another regional thing. It's a way of saying "nearly" or "almost", something like that, sometimes it could mean "wanted to," depending on context. "I like to died = I nearly died" (not literally, though) meaning an extreme reaction like shock, astonishment, surprise, whatever the context suggests on that order. "I like to died laughing = I nearly died laughing" is an example that comes to mind. Someone for whom this is a common native expression might have a better explanation or example.
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Jan 9, 2020 14:46:37 GMT -5
I have a question - wondering if this is a Midwest thing. at least the one poster here that says this, a LOT, is from the Midwest. what does "like to _____" mean? I can go find a quote, but the usage that first caught my eye was in saying someone "like to died..." hmm....maybe a full quote would help. will edit this post. Yeah, that's another regional thing. It's a way of saying "nearly" or "almost", something like that, sometimes it could mean "wanted to," depending on context. "I like to died = I nearly died" (not literally, though) meaning an extreme reaction like shock, astonishment, surprise, whatever the context suggests on that order. "I like to died laughing = I nearly died laughing" is an example that comes to mind. thanks, that makes sense. I had never heard it before I noticed it a few times from the same poster. there's a lot of stuff I say that I'm sure probably confuses people here that aren't from/haven't spent much time in New England.....no big surprise that another region's colloquialisms might confuse me.
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Jan 9, 2020 15:02:26 GMT -5
It is likely that many of these regional differences were influenced by the native languages of the immigrants who settled those regions. I can pretty much guarantee that there have been numerous PhD theses written on these and other regional linguistic anomalies that probably traced them back to their origins.
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Chocolate Lover
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Post by Chocolate Lover on Jan 9, 2020 15:05:16 GMT -5
Yeah, that's another regional thing. It's a way of saying "nearly" or "almost", something like that, sometimes it could mean "wanted to," depending on context. "I like to died = I nearly died" (not literally, though) meaning an extreme reaction like shock, astonishment, surprise, whatever the context suggests on that order. "I like to died laughing = I nearly died laughing" is an example that comes to mind. thanks, that makes sense. I had never heard it before I noticed it a few times from the same poster. there's a lot of stuff I say that I'm sure probably confuses people here that aren't from/haven't spent much time in New England.....no big surprise that another region's colloquialisms might confuse me. She got it pretty much as I would have explained it. I hear it a lot down here in the South, but I can't really say if I use it or not. Probably
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Jan 9, 2020 15:21:43 GMT -5
It is likely that many of these regional differences were influenced by the native languages of the immigrants who settled those regions. I can pretty much guarantee that there have been numerous PhD theses written on these and other regional linguistic anomalies that probably traced them back to their origins. I need to indulge my inner nerd and look up some of these studies. this stuff fascinates me. I read an excerpt of one awhile back about how a specific dialect of VT was disappearing as younger generations largely move away from where they were born. if I can find it again, I'll PM it to you. sounds like you'd be interested.
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Jan 9, 2020 16:38:57 GMT -5
It is likely that many of these regional differences were influenced by the native languages of the immigrants who settled those regions. I can pretty much guarantee that there have been numerous PhD theses written on these and other regional linguistic anomalies that probably traced them back to their origins. I need to indulge my inner nerd and look up some of these studies. this stuff fascinates me. I read an excerpt of one awhile back about how a specific dialect of VT was disappearing as younger generations largely move away from where they were born. if I can find it again, I'll PM it to you. sounds like you'd be interested. That does sound interesting. I was a linguist for 40 years, so "language nerd" will always be a part of my persona.
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on Jan 9, 2020 18:08:02 GMT -5
I've seen "anymore" used in a very peculiar way.
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toomuchreality
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Post by toomuchreality on Jan 12, 2020 20:29:49 GMT -5
I live in the west. For the last year, I have been hearing phrases like you mentioned, while watching Fox news. I'm not sure if other channels do it as well.
Don't you hear phrases like that on your news, when they talk about 'hospital' and 'university'? "John Doe was taken to hospital, after being hit by a bus today." "Cindy Loo, who attends university, is only 6yrs old."
I thought my local Fox news channel started doing it, to be "cool", but maybe the person writing the script, writes it that way?
It makes me a bit crazy.
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Jan 12, 2020 20:37:57 GMT -5
your script writer is European. that is the syntax they use over there. it's a bit jarring until you get used to it.
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Jan 12, 2020 20:48:20 GMT -5
your script writer is European. that is the syntax they use over there. it's a bit jarring until you get used to it. Or possibly Canadian. I believe Canadian English syntax retains many features of British English.
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Jan 12, 2020 20:52:48 GMT -5
your script writer is European. that is the syntax they use over there. it's a bit jarring until you get used to it. Or possibly Canadian. valid, I forget that actual Anglophone Canadians follow British English grammar and syntax. my ass-backward dialect of French is a mishmash of everything.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2020 21:05:44 GMT -5
I'd never heard "to be" omitted until I lived in the South. Where I'm from, in the back of beyond, people "take and." For instance, "I'm going to take and write out my grocery list" or "I'm going to take and gather some wildflowers" or "I'm going to take and wash the dishes."
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on Jan 12, 2020 21:10:34 GMT -5
I live in the west. For the last year, I have been hearing phrases like you mentioned, while watching Fox news. I'm not sure if other channels do it as well. Don't you hear phrases like that on your news, when they talk about 'hospital' and 'university'? "John Doe was taken to hospital, after being hit by a bus today." "Cindy Loo, who attends university, is only 6yrs old." I thought my local Fox news channel started doing it, to be "cool", but maybe the person writing the script, writes it that way? It makes me a bit crazy. When we say John Doe was taken to hospital, it means he was taken to A hospital. Saying THE hospital, refers to a specific hospital, or if there's only one hospital. Same with university. If Cindy Loo goes to THE university, which university are they referring to?
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Jan 12, 2020 21:30:49 GMT -5
I'd never heard "to be" omitted until I lived in the South. Where I'm from, in the back of beyond, people "take and." For instance, "I'm going to take and write out my grocery list" or "I'm going to take and gather some wildflowers" or "I'm going to take and wash the dishes." Or I'm fixin' to write out my grocery list" or "I'm fixin' to gather some wildflowers" or "I'm fixin' to wash the dishes."
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2020 21:39:30 GMT -5
LOL I've lived in the South for so long that I say "fixing to." It grates on my own ears!
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lund
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Post by lund on Jan 13, 2020 15:11:58 GMT -5
The "take and" construction makes me suspect Scandinavian immigrants....
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Jan 13, 2020 15:17:29 GMT -5
I have not experienced the missing "to be" but my MIL says "Oh for cute" along with other "Oh for..." phrases. Not sure how that makes more sense then the proper "That is cute" or the super easy "Cute!" I let it irritate me, just for fun.
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andi9899
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Post by andi9899 on Jan 13, 2020 15:17:56 GMT -5
I got a lot of that too when I went to school in Colorado. I don't see how since I know how to pronounce the letter R!!!! Have you seen the movie The Heat? If not, you need to watch it. The exchange with Melissa McCarthy's character's family and Sandra Bullock is priceless.
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andi9899
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Post by andi9899 on Jan 13, 2020 15:20:25 GMT -5
I have a question - wondering if this is a Midwest thing. at least the one poster here that says this, a LOT, is from the Midwest. what does "like to _____" mean? I can go find a quote, but the usage that first caught my eye was in saying someone "like to died..." hmm....maybe a full quote would help. will edit this post. ETA: That is most definitely not a midwest thing. I've never heard anyone say that and I live in KS.
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andi9899
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Post by andi9899 on Jan 13, 2020 15:30:02 GMT -5
LOL I've lived in the South for so long that I say "fixing to." It grates on my own ears! I've started saying finna and the girls thought it was weird at first. "I'm finna go to the store. I'm finna buy this jacket I saw today."
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Chocolate Lover
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Post by Chocolate Lover on Jan 14, 2020 15:11:06 GMT -5
I'd never heard "to be" omitted until I lived in the South. Where I'm from, in the back of beyond, people "take and." For instance, "I'm going to take and write out my grocery list" or "I'm going to take and gather some wildflowers" or "I'm going to take and wash the dishes." This one gets on my very last nerve. I never heard it until FIL said it, and it always ends with "uh" as is: take and uh write that list.
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Jan 14, 2020 22:49:52 GMT -5
I'd never heard "to be" omitted until I lived in the South. Where I'm from, in the back of beyond, people "take and." For instance, "I'm going to take and write out my grocery list" or "I'm going to take and gather some wildflowers" or "I'm going to take and wash the dishes." This one gets on my very last nerve. I never heard it until FIL said it, and it always ends with "uh" as is: take and uh write that list. Interestingly, there is a syntactical structure in Chinese (actually, a sentence pattern--Chinese doesn't really have grammar, it has patterns) generally referred to as the "ba construction" that literally translates as "take (direct object) and (transitive verb)." The purpose of the construction is to focus attention on the disposition of the direct object by putting the verb (what happens to the object) at the end of the sentence. It's not annoying to native Chinese speakers, but it is annoying to students of Chinese because it requires some mental gymnastics to render the translation with the appropriate nuance without actually translating it as "take … and …" which would make it annoying in English.
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Post by empress of self-improvement on Jan 16, 2020 15:28:49 GMT -5
I got a lot of that too when I went to school in Colorado. I don't see how since I know how to pronounce the letter R!!!! Have you seen the movie The Heat? If not, you need to watch it. The exchange with Melissa McCarthy's character's family and Sandra Bullock is priceless. I have. Talk about an over-exaggerated accent!
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