Date: Tue, 8 Oct 1996 09:44:38 -0500

From: Molly Connors dickmeye[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]JBLSMTP.PHL.LRPUB.COM

Subject: Re: drop off -Reply



And me, with my PA Dutch background.



Molly Connors

dickmeye[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]phl.lrpub.com



Dennis R. Preston preston[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]PILOT.MSU.EDU 10/07/96 03:41pm



Dale,



You're right about the Germanness of the 'come with'; my Milwaukee

wife has it solidly.



Any number of things you seem to be able to rather freely delete in

'transitive' object position, I can't. Smells like age to me (since it can't

hardly be prescriptivism on my part). I hope to get a student to play with

this. Since the minimalists tell us all the grammar is in the lexicon, it ought

to be easy to show generationally.



Best,



Dennis



( Dennis-



Now I find myself flipping through the entire lexicon trying to figure out

what I can and can't say... take off, take down, put off, put down, get

down,

pipe down... You ask about:



the parent would be expected to drop off and go back home



When I think about it, I would normally say "Drop them off" but I guess

intransitive "drop off," though not the usual construction, is comparable

to

pick up:



When shall I pick them up?

What time is pick up?

When shall I pick up?



None of which get the asterisk for me.



However, in a different construction, I've got a friend from California

who

makes me shudder every time she says:



Do your kids want to come with?



Where I would say,



Do they want to come with us?



Maybe German influence from mitkommen- Kommen die Kinder mit?



Also consider...To everything there is a season...A time to drop off and

a

time to pick up.



Dale Coye

Princeton, NJ



Dennis R. Preston

Department of Linguistics and Languages

Michigan State University

East Lansing MI 48824-1027 USA preston[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]pilot.msu.edu

Office: (517)432-1235

Fax: (517)432-2736