If MS Ferarro were literate, she would not have said "was" unless 
she was both a politician and speaking to a not-that-literate audience.
[Note: my comment lacks parallelism.]
Scott
------------------------------

Date:    Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:06:25 -0500
From:    DD Farms <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Subjunctive

At 12:47 PM 3/12/2008, Kathleen M. Ward wrote:
>. . .(she should have said "If Obama were a white
>man") but the subjunctive has been disappearing from English for
>centuries now.  I think it has become pretty rare in speech. (I
>take it that this was an interview quotation?)

DD: I think it was during an interview. I admit that I am 77, raised 
by elderly Southern Gentry, parents, both teachers, born about 1887, 
of a family of educators. (Think McCallie School in Chattanooga.) 
Alas, I am out of touch with the current High Standard.  

To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface
at:
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
and select "Join or leave the list"

Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/

------------------------------

End of ATEG Digest - 11 Mar 2008 to 12 Mar 2008 (#2008-63)
**********************************************************

To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at:
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
and select "Join or leave the list"

Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/