Re: 1st person vocative (was: Language universal?)

Patrick Dunn wrote:

>On Fri, 9 Feb 2001, Elliott Lash wrote:
>
>>   I always (well ok, informally) address myself as Elliott when speaking
to people. As an example:
>>
>>   Elliott really thinks that this was a bit too much about himself,
Elliott wants to go now ...... :)
>
>That is truly an annoying habit.  Patrick recommends you disgard it.>
Bobdole syndrome.  I tend often to refer to myself as "we":  We finished
tiling the bathroom....etc. (no one else was involved).  That this annoys or
at least perplexes people is evidenced by frequent puzzled looks and "Who's
we?"  Aside from occasional LOL at posts here, or my nephew's "joke of the
day" forwards, I don't tend to talk to myself out loud-- but there is a
constant internal dialogue, in which I am either I or we, and _someone_
responds "you":  What shall we do today?  Well, you'd better get to the PO
before it closes......
I do talk to the cats (there are 4):  Well, people, shall we eat?  (They
occasionally reply.)

When my mother was in the last stages of Alzheimer's, or whatever it was,
she talked constantly, sort of the "internal dialogue" but out loud.  Very
strange, sometimes it made sense, more often  not.  Somewhat earlier, she
would look at a white surface, e.g. tablecloth, and apparently visualize a
crossword puzzle grid, which she would proceed to solve, out loud.  Very
strange, too, but hilarious to watch and hear.
Roger-- suffering badly from cabin fever this winter, but not yet
certifiable. We hope.