Stahlke, Herbert F.W. wrote:
> That quotative development is another interesting wrinkle. A lot of
> grammatical and lexical change takes place on the basis of metaphor,
> that is, speakers trying to be more expressive. But then the more
> expressive expression becomes hackneyed and that gradually wears down
> to almost nothing. Take English "have", which meant "possess, hold"
> in OE but has become a perfect auxiliary with for nearly all speakers
> reduces to schwa, as in "woulda" and for some speakers simply drops
> out as in the non-standard perfect aspect "I seen him".
>
>
>
> Herb
>
>
>
>
>
> Stahlke, Herbert F.W. wrote:
>
> Marshall,
>
>
>
> Synchronically, I'd argue that there's a register difference, as you
> suggest, between A and B and that "as" and "like" are both
> subordinators. In C, "the way" is the head noun modified by an
> asyndetic relative clause, that is, a clause that doesn't start with
> "that" or one of the wh-relative words. Functionally, "the way" may
> be on its way to becoming a subordinator in its own right, but I don't
> think it's shifted that far yet.
>
>
>
> Diachronically it gets interesting because "like" comes from Old
> English "lic", which meant "body". We derive both "like" and the
> suffix -ly from "lic." That is, a noun has gradually morphed into a
> /conjunction/preposition and into a suffix. "The way" is acting as if
> it's at the beginning of such a change. That suggests that at some
> time, and, perhaps, for some speakers already, "the way" has ceased to
> be an ordinary noun phrase.
>
>
>
> Herb
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Fellow Grammarians,
>
> Let me ask about a related subject. Look at the following
> constructions. I consider them to be paraphrases of each other.
> Granted, the first is probably more acceptable in academic English,
> the second is more conversational (some of you may remember the
> Winston cigarette commercial: "Winston tastes good like a cigarette
> should. It may be bad grammar, but it's great taste."). The third, I'm
> not sure about.
>
> I see the first as using "as" as a subordinator. In the second, I see
> "like" also as a subordinator. What I am not sure about is the third
> one. Is "the way" acting as a subordinator? They all seem to have the
> same structure, but do they?
>
> A. He thinks as I do.
> B. He thinks like I do.
> C. He thinks the way I do.
>
> Marshall
>
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>
> Herb,
>
> Thanks for your quick and learned reply.
>
> Isn't "like" also being used as a quotative as in the following sentence?
>
> I saw him on the corner, and I
> said, 'Like, what are you doing here,' and he says,
> 'Like, I'm waiting for Mary.'
>
> Marshall
>
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Herb,
I'm located in eastern Kentucky. I grew up near Louisville. I want to
ask you about another situation. Based on what you said about "I seen,"
I wonder if that same line of logic would explain "I taken"? It is a
common verb choice in speakers I grew up with and here.
Thanks,
Marshall
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