Date:  Sat, 15 Nov 1997 15:31:52 -0500
From:  "Margaret G. Lee -English" <mlee[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]CS.HAMPTONU.EDU>
Subject: Re: stay and live

I've noticed the use of stay or live totally in the African American
community, perhaps reflecting African Americans' great migration from the
South to the North in the early to mid 1900's. Many times they "stayed"
with relatives or friends who had already migrated North, until they could
establish their own households. Sometimes this process took a long time,
maybe due to lack of work, or low wages, or other conditions,
and people ending up "staying" longer than desired or expected, or moving
on to "stay" with another friend or relative. Anyway, "stay" seems to
reflect a history of temporary living conditions in the lives of some
oppressed African Americans.

On Wed, 12 Nov 1997, Matthew James Gordon wrote:

> Date: Wed, 12 Nov 1997 16:56:16 -0800
> From: Matthew James Gordon <gordonm[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]CALUMET.PURDUE.EDU>
> To: ADS-L[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UGA.CC.UGA.EDU
> Subject: stay and live
>
> Since moving to the Chicago area (NW Indiana), I have noticed a usage
> that was previously unfamilar to me. The use of "stay" as opposed to
> "live" as in "Where do you stay?" "I stay in Hammond on 173rd street."
> (It is clear that the meaning of temporary residence (e.g. "stay in a
> hotel") is not intended.) I wonder if anyone has discussed the
> distribution of this form or has observed it elsewhere. The couple of
> times I have noted this it has been from African American speakers, but I
> suppose it might be regional as well or instead. Can anyone provide some
> information? Thanks.
>