Theiling Online    Sitemap    Conlang Mailing List HQ    Attic   

YAEDT? Syntax in dialects of English

From:David McCann <david@...>
Date:Saturday, October 25, 2008, 22:04
On Fri, 2008-10-24 at 16:04 -0400, Eldin Raigmore wrote:

> Can anyone tell us what some of these major differences in syntax are, and > which dialects have them, and where they're spoken?
One major difference I see every time I visit an on-line forum is the US use of the simple past for the perfect: an opportunity to click on "I forgot my password". If I don't remember it then I *have forgotten* it. "I forgot my password" only makes sense in the Queen's English in a context like "I forgot my password, but luckily I'd written it down". In Canada, Newfoundland sounds as if it has an interesting dialect, judging by Tanya Huff's "Summon the Keeper" (one of the funniest books I've read in years): e.g. "I'm after calling 911" for "I'm going to call 911".

Replies

Eugene Oh <un.doing@...>
Larry Sulky <larrysulky@...>