Date: Thu, 8 Jun 1995 13:18:54 -0500
From: "Timothy C. Frazer" mftcf[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UXA.ECN.BGU.EDU
Subject: Re: over there--why?
I asked for this information because Chicano English speakers in
Sterling, Illinois routinely refer to Mexico as "over there." I didn't
think any non-hispanics had this usage, but I wanted to be sure.
11 people more or less agreed that "over there" would mean only Europe,
mainly Asia. Tom Clark confirmed what I suspected, that "over there" for
Mexico is a SW usage. Funny thing is, none of my informants have TxMex
ancestry; all are children of Mexican immigrants, presumably learned
ENglish in Illinois.
Tim Frazer