Date: Mon, 29 Jan 1996 00:18:47 -0700

From: Rudy Troike RTROIKE[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]CCIT.ARIZONA.EDU

Subject: Re: carried my cousin to the store



That's an old one. The first time I heard anyone make that sort of comment

about it was from C. M. Wise, back about 1963, who said he had the same

reaction when he first moved to Louisiana. Having always heard and used

that form, what seemed funny to me was someone taking such a literal

interpretation of it. Sort of comparable to the first time I heard a New

Yorker talk about standing on line, and I assumed that there was a painted

line on the ground that he stood on. "Take" is a semantically very weak

form, or can be interpreted as coercion. Does "I have to take my cousin to

the store" imply force? Dragging by the hair? How does one "take" another

person somewhere? That is the REALLY peculiar usage. But "carry" obviously

implies a vehicle, and that of course is exactly what one is doing, carrying

the other person in your conveyance (wagon, car, Lear jet) so the person does

not have to walk. Makes MUCH better sense. Certainly better than kidnapping.

--Rudy Troike (rtroike[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ccit.arizona.edu)