Date:  Wed, 30 Nov 1994 09:39:07 CST

From:  salikoko mufwene <mufw[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MIDWAY.UCHICAGO.EDU>

Subject: Re: The great California freeway isogloss revisited



In Message Wed, 30 Nov 1994 08:52:47 EST,

 Wayne Glowka <wglowka[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]gc3.GAC.PeachNet.EDU> writes:



>A woman born in Philadelphia in the first decade of the twentieth century

>whom I once knew used to say "I have the diarrhea," whereas I--overeducated

>person from Texas born fifty years later-- would say "I have diarrhea."

  (...)

>My wife and her central Georgian family say "I'm gonna stay in the bed all

>day," whereas I would say "I'm gonna stay in bed all day."



  Now that the concern has broadened its scope...

I've been interested in variation in constructions such as "go to (the)

market", "be in (the) hospital", and "have (the) fever", as well as by

"go to the (corner/convenience) store". I appreciate this addition to the

list of items of interest. Incidentally, last weekend, in New Orleans, I

heard somebody (native speaker!) say that XYZ was too busy "watching the TV"

in the sense of what I have learned to say as "watching TV." Have you also

noticed this construction or did I just stumble on an idiosyncrasy?

Sali.

Salikoko S. Mufwene

University of Chicago

Dept. of Linguistics

1010 East 59th Street

Chicago, IL 60637

s-mufwene[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]uchicago.edu

312-702-8531; fax: 312-702-9861