Date:  Wed, 3 Aug 1994 13:47:07 -0400

From:  I'M ZEN LIKE DAT <LGASTON[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]NPR.ORG>

Subject: newcomer



I joined this conference out of curiousity about what people into

dialacts talk about: I learned a new term like "the immutable form of

be" but I've already forgotten it!!!!



So I thought this would be a good place to share some progressive

tense forms I've been studying. (A friend and I were just being silly

and came up with these.) Use the phrase "to be gone", we've come up

with the following uses in African-American culture.



Again, this is for humor only...I don't mean to offend anyone

(including my mother, who raised me better):



Been gone: When the stress is on 'been', this tense implies something

has been gone a fairly long time. Example: That bus *been* gone!



Done been gone: When the stress is on 'done', this tense implies

something has been gone a very long time. Example: That bus done

*been* gone!



Been done been gone: When the stress is on the first 'been', this

tense implies something has been gone a very, very long time.

Example: That bus *been* done been gone!



Actually, I've never heard the latter expression used in real life!

For some reason, we know when to stop; when it "feels" right... ??



Love to hear your thoughts on this.



leslie