Re: USAGE: NATLANG: I've Gots An English Question

--- Doug Dee <AmateurLinguist@...> wrote:
> In a message dated 6/22/2003 12:14:18 PM Eastern
> Daylight Time,
> draqonfayir@JUNO.COM writes:
>
>
> >So then what dialect of English *adds* final |-s|s
> where Standard
> >American says they don't belong?
>
> >The song "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)" by Jason Mraz
> that's been on the
> >radio recently includes the line:
>
> >"if you've gots the poison, I've gots the remedy"
>
> >At another point in the song he seems to say "I
> says" as another use of
> >final |-s| on a non-3rdperson present verb.
>
> >So does anyone know if this is a feature of any
> specific dialect(s)?
>
>
>
> I seem to recall learning that in Scotland &
> Northern England, final -s
> traditionally appears on 3rd person plural present
> tense verbs, in accordance with
> a rule I can't remember but which someone here is
> sure to explain.
>
> As for the US: It was mentioned in one of my college
> linguistics classes that
> -s on non-3rd-sg verbs is fairly common in much of
> the US, especially when
> the present tense is being used to narrate a past
> event.
>
> "I says" is perhaps the most common example.  I
> would be surprised if there
> are any Americans who've never heard it.*   It's
> common enough that it was
> referred to (and mocked) in a Dilbert cartoon within
> the past year or 2 (or 3?).
> I don't think the cartoonist would have done that if
> he'd believed that
> readers in some regions wouldn't have recognized
> this feature.
>
> On a related note: anecdotal evidence and the comic
> strip _For Better or for
> Worse_ tell me that some children have reanalyzed
> "got" as the present tense
> of a verb meaning "have" instead of the past tense
> of "get."  Hence, they say
> "I got [=have] only one candy bar and Sally gots
> [=has] two!  No fair!"
> ("Gots" then shows a normal 3rd sg present
> inflection.)
>
> *Now that I've said this, I will be inundated with
> mail from Americans who've
> never heard it.
>
> Doug
Native Texan here.  Not only have I heard them all
(except the Scottish example) I use them all (except
the Scottish example) including the forms previously
mentioned as AAVE.  I really believe most if not all
of the forms stereotyped as AAVE also appear in
various Southern white dialects as well.  I won't say
whether the effect was Southern > AAVE or AAVE >
Southern, but the dialects are far more similar than
either group is usually willing to admit.

Adam

Reply