Re: A language change question (longish)

Philip Newton wrote:
>
> I'm reminded of the people who interpret
> intransitive _lay_ as a present tense instead of
> past (and hence form a new past tense, _laid_).
> As in, "I told him, 'go and lay on the bed', so
> he went and laid on the bed" vs. "I told him,
> 'go and lie on the bed', so he went and lay on
> the bed".
Or it's simply the use of the transitive verb "lay"
as a replacement for the intransitive verb "lie."
This is nearly universal in the United States.
Even those few who use "lie" in the present
tense, tend to use "laid" for the past tense. It's
hard to find anyone here who knows that "lay"
is the past tense of "lie."

--Ph. D.