Craig, Adverbial yes, but a noun phrase used adverbially rather than a true adverb. Consider the intensifier: I do it often / very often. I do it a lot / *very a lot / a whole lot. I do it a bit / *very a bit / a little bit. Dick On Sat, Aug 13, 2011 at 9:09 AM, Craig Hancock <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Bill, > I was thinking about situations like "I own a lot, which I check a > lot." Or "I check a lot a lot." If we had a different spelling for the > adverbial use (which I hear as "alot," not "a lot" in the above > instances), I think it would better represent the way the structure > has evolved both phonetically and cognitively. I hear it and think of > it as a single word spelled as two. > Of course, the written language is innately conservative in the classic > sense of that term. People will treat it as an error. Even as I type > this, the computer puts a red squiggly line underneath "alot" to cajole > me back. > > Craig 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/