Date:  Fri, 28 Oct 1994 10:42:58 EST

From:  Trace <mchenry[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MACE.CC.PURDUE.EDU>

Subject: 'needs fixed' fun



    I am interested in this particular thread b'c I had _never_ heard

this form until I came to IN (from Alaska). I was quite thrilled when a

new PhD student in my inrto to ling class said "My car needs washed!" I thought

it was the most unusual structure I had ever heard. Now, three years later

I still listen for it--and I don't hear it very much at all. Until recently

when a very close friend was showing me an 'ad' he had written for some

sort of secretish underground electronic journal. He had cleverly used

the "anonymous" service so that no one here would know it was him, until

I pointed out his use of the 'needs Xed'. I did not mean it as an indsult--

I meant only to warn him that he may be giving himself away since he is the

only person in the department that I had heard use that form. He was furious

and told me to "shut up you damn linguist". I didn't know it was a sore spot.

He's from Southern IN and doesn't really have many other traits of Southern

IN speech. Well, next time I will think more before pointing out a

linguistic trait that I find wonderful but others may hate.

    Tracey

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 "The first problem for all of us,       Tracey McHenry

  men and women, is not to learn,        mchenry[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]mace.cc.purdue.edu

  but to unlearn."               Learning . . . .

  --Gloria Steinem--

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