Job Discussion Forums

[Frater]

Could any US readers of this please tell me if using 'most' instead of 'almost' is acceptable US usage?
I always thought that it was a bit 'redneck', but recently read an article in 'Scientific American' (!) which said that 'in most every study conducted on this question, researchers found that ...'

Grateful for opinions,

'Frater'

[johnslat]

Dear Frater,
I'd say that "most every" is a good example of a "regional colloquialism", one which is especially prevalent in the southern USA. So, I'd call it "acceptable" in that it's used by a fairly large number of "native speakers". Another "non-standard" but "acceptable" usage that's often heard in the Midwest USA is " might could", as in:

"Well, I don't know. I might could get it done by tomorrow."

These, by the way, are, in my experience, not used just by "rednecks" or other "uneducated individuals", but run the gamut of the social strata.
Regards,
John

[Deborann]

If it was in a respected international journal, it should have been more carefully edited. Regional colloquialism is cute in regions and to those of us who enjoy visiting regions to see differences - but not in erudite professional papers.

[khmerhit]

You told him, DeboraAnn
S V Io

[johnslat]

You know, I thought one was supposed to become more conservative as one grew older. But, strangely enough, I find that, as I age, my definition of just what is "acceptable" English is becoming less draconian. I suppose this could indicate either greater wisdom or the onset on second childhood.
Regards,
John

[guest of Japan]

Long live Herman Hesse's Siddhartha!

[johnslat]

Dear guest of Japan,
I used to know a guy named Siddhartha, back when I was teaching in Indonesia. He was a reporter for "Tempo" magazine. One day, going to meet him, I got into a taxi in Jakarta. As we were driving along, I happened to notice the taxi driver's license card. His full name was Karma.
So, there I was, being driven by Karma to meet Siddhartha.
Regards,
John

[guest of Japan]

Too funny. You didn't happen to get together under a Lotus tree did you?

[johnslat]

Dear guest of Japan,
Could be - maybe I ate some of the blossoms and have forgotten.
Regards,
John

[woza17]

Hang on, lotus tree. I thought they grew in the water. Great book. I liked the Indian movie too.

[guest of Japan]

Make that a Bodhi tree. Apologies to all whose religion I have made the mistake in.

[Glenski]

[johnslat]

Dear Glenski,
Hmm, that suprises me. I lived in Missouri/Kansas for a while and heard "might could" all the time. Maybe it's more "southern Midwest", and, upon lookng it up, it seems most every site designates it as more "southern" than "Midwest".

Here's an interesting study:

http://hcs.harvard.edu/~golder/dialect/staticmaps/q_53.html

and

"Kenneth G. Wilson (1923�). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993.

might could, might should, might would


These are double modal auxiliaries, limited to the spoken Midland and Southern regional dialects. I might could do it means �I might be able to do it� or �Maybe I could do it.�

and

"OUR LIVING LANGUAGE: In many Southern U.S. varieties of English, might can be paired with other auxiliary verbs such as could, as in We might could park over there. Words like might and could are known as modals, since they express certain �moods� (for example, I might go indicates an uncertain mood on the part of the speaker). Combinations such as might could, might would, and might can are known as double modals. Other less common combinations include may can, may will, and might should. Since double modals typically begin with may or might, they lessen the degree of conviction or certainty (much like the word possibly) more than a single modal does. Double modals are used, for example, to minimize the force of what one is saying, as when asking someone for a favor or when indicating displeasure. �Although double modals may sound odd outside of the South, they carry little if any social stigma within the South and are used by speakers of all social classes and educational levels�even in formal instances like political addresses. Like many features of Southern varieties of English, the use of double modals is probably due to the fact that many of the first English speakers in the South were Scotch-Irish, whose speech made use of double modals. This feature has been noted as far back as the Middle English period, but today's most common forms were not used to any great extent until the mid-18th century. They are surprisingly rare in dialect fiction but do occasionally occur, as in Old Yeller by Fred Gipson: �Jumper's liable to throw a fit with that hide rattling along behind him, and you might not can hold him by yourself.�

and

"The use of so-called "double modal" constructions is quite common in the South and Southwest. I come from Dallas originally, and such constructions as you have cited are common there in everyday speech, and they serve a real linguistic purpose: modal forms such as 'could' and 'should' are ambiguous in Modern English, as they have both an indicative and a subjunctive sense. For example, "I could come" can mean either "I was able to come" (past indicative of 'can') or "I would be able to come" (subjunctive). In German, the two forms are distinct: "ich konnte kommen" vs. "ich koennte kommen". The use of double modal constructions with 'may' or 'might' serves to reintroduce this distinction. Thus, for a Southerner, "I might could come" or "I may could come" carry the subjunctive meaning, whereas "I could come" is only indicative in meaning....
The use of double modals in Southern American English fills a gap in Standard English grammar, namely the loss of inflectional distinction in English between indicative and subjunctive modals. Dialect or regional forms are often more progressive in gap-filling than is a standard language. "


Regards,
John

[Deborah]

Hey, Johnslat, thanks. I myself was born and lived until my mid-teens in the greater Washington, DC, area (so fortunately have a very neutral US accent and useage), but my parents are southerners. They have now been living in Georgia for more than 20 years. I wonder what the experts (might would) make of the "fixin' to" future? I actually think it conforms to the model you give: that the regional useage fills a gap. In this case, the future referred to is imminent, within the next few minutes - not really addressed by so-called regular English tenses.

[leeroy]

fackin yanks

dunno au t' speak t' facking language

J'y'naa wo'aa mean?