Re: Ungrammaticalization?

>From: Jim Grossmann <steven@...>
>
>Is it possible that all this loosening up is a result of your explorations
>in grammar?
>
>Quite a few people who do a lot of phonetic transcription report that their
>spelling has gone downhill as a result.    Could something analogous be
>happening to your spoken grammar?
>
>Keep posting,
>
>Jim
>
>
> >I've just recently noticed myself doing something somewhat odd (odd
> >because I was a fervent prescriptive grammar nazi for very many years):
> >I'm producing constructions that the average English speaker would deem
> >incorrect; and what's more, my brain tells me that the way I'm doing it
> >*is* correct. Examples:
>
> >"Sang" has dropped out of existence in my speech. My brain insists on
> >"sung" for the simple past tense.
>
> >Somewhat similarly, "drunk" and "swum" have almost disappeared, being
> >replaced very often by "drank" and "swam." I sometimes do the same with
> >"ran" as a past participle.
>
> >Really weird: the other day when my mother asked my how much of something
> >I wanted for dinner, I caught myself replying, "Any much would be all
> >right."
>
> >And like I said, it isn't as if I don't know proper English grammar: I
> >can still write perfectly normally. My brain just seems to be instituting
> >a program of very rapid language change for no particular reason. Has
> >anyone else run into anything of the kind?
>
>
> >Josh Brandt-Young <neonwave7@...>

I would concur (see? can't spell) with Jim. Just a side-effect of
grammatical experimentation. No need to worry. Read one of those "Anguished
English" books or something by William Safire (or so I understand) and the
symptoms should subside.
I have the same problem. And not just in my own speech; it's all over the
family idiom. There this one weird construction that I don't think exists in
English proper. I've beening trying to incorporate it in a conlang. It's
"with the verb-ing!" I think it's an indirect imperative that means "stop
verb-ing!" and usually has an even more indirect meaning than that. Like
"with the stinking" would an indirect, polite way of telling someone they
need a shower. I know we're not just crazy. Does anyone else (of course
someone does, I mean would you like to share?) have interesting "family
idioms" like this? You know, phrases that your parents and siblings
understand perfectly, but when you say in public, people look at you weird?

Sorry to sort of change the subject, but I've wondered. Seems opprotune to
bring it up.

Jennifer


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