Re: Ass metonymy (WAS: a bad essay)

Sai Emrys wrote:
> On Fri, Feb 6, 2009 at 10:13 PM, Paul Kershaw <ptkershaw@...>
> wrote:
>> I question your use of "even." Ass can be used as a subject in SAE:
>> "Some ass just called me. Stupid pranks."
>
> IMO though this is a very distinct use of 'ass' - it's the old use
> (i.e. jackass, an annoying person); not the AAVE use (i.e. metonymic
> buttocks for the person).
Exactly. "Some ass called me this" is quite normal, tho maybe a bit
dated, Brit English - where, as is well-known, the buttocks word is
_arse_. We non-rhotics of south-east England pronounce the former
(donkey, jack-ass) [&s], and the latter as [A:s] (in the rhotic regions,
the latter is pronounced with whatever the local reflex of post-vocalic
/r/ is). Definitely not the same word.

Tho I may add that people of my grandparents' generation in this neck of
the woods did pronounce both as /A:s/, which used to amuse us kids when
a teacher called us a "silly ass"      :)

But the [&s] ~ [A:s] distinction was normal among non-rhotics of my
parents' generation & is normal now. The two words have always been
written differently, of course.
-----------------------------------------

Philip Newton wrote:
 > 2009/2/7 Sai Emrys <saizai@...>:
 >> On Sat, Feb 7, 2009 at 2:19 AM, Philip Newton
 >> <philip.newton@...> wrote:
 >>> "the book sold well"
 >> Isn't this called 'middle voice'?
 >
 > Good question. Feels like a bit of both to me -

It depends which authority you consult  ;)

Trask labels it "mediopassive"


--
Ray
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