Re: CHAT: ...y'know

On Mon, 28 Jun 1999, Steg Belsky wrote:

> On Sun, 27 Jun 1999 16:51:08 -0500 Patrick Dunn
> <tb0pwd1@...> writes:
> >I've also noticed a replacement of "said" with the forms "like" and
> >"is
> >all."  For example:
>
> >"So I'm all, Get over it, and she's like, yeah, right, so I'm all,
> >puhleaze, and she's all talk to the hand."
> >
> >--Patrick
>
> I've always heard this as "*was* like", with "be" in past tense - i.e.
> "so she was like, 'hey, get away from me!' so i was like,
> 'what-ever'...".
>
>
> -Stephen (Steg)
>
Here in Illinois, the narrative present is more popular than the past
tense.  You'll hear an awful lot of "so I says, so she says, so I says."
"So I go to the store, and I buy a pan, and I take it home, and I'm all,
'shut up,' and he's all 'shut up,' so I hits him with it!"

Imagine that at a speed of about 200 words a second, much of it through
the nose (the closer you are to Iowa).

--Patrick