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Hello!
My name is Emily and I live in Michigan's beautiful Upper Peninsula.
I don't know the details, but I know someone who does! I found this abstract online from a 2012 paper presented at the American Dialect Society, Portland, 2012. I'm sure if you contact Mr Rankinen, he would be happy to share details. Please note that these abstracts include our very own Mr. Grant Barrett, who also presented on Restarting the public conversation about language.
Wil Rankinen (Indiana U).
Where’d the preposition go? An account of locative prepositional deletion in Michigan’s UP speech
community.Among monolingual English speakers from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (U.P.), it is not uncommon to hear
the deletion of such locative prepositions as ‘to’, e.g., “I went town yesterday”. The paper will first show
the prescriptive pressures and social situation surrounding this phenomenon. The analysis will then
describe the linguistic constraints of the phenomenon in relation to its social, semantic and syntactic
sensitivities: formality/commonality, and verb types, tenses, and determiner phrases. In addition to giving a
first-time descriptive analysis of this phenomenon, evidence collected from perceptual acceptability rating
tasks will support its existence and use among this monolingual English-speaking community.
EmmettRedd said
I don't know about UP Finns, but I know some Minnesota Norwegians who don't use objects for some prepositions. For example, "We will leave for church soon. Do you want to go with?"
This is so interesting - I thought it was French influence, as I've mostly heard it among people speaking English in Belgium, but lately I heard or read it from a monolingual American as well. Is it really more particular to Minnesota and/or those of Norwegian descent?
For nonnative speakers of any language, prepositions (or their equivalents) are among the most difficult things to get right. This case is particularly interesting because it focuses on monolingual English speakers. I don't know of any monolingual English speakers who do this. From the abstract it sounds as if it is a regional dialect that may have developed from a common ethnicity, but that is no longer necessarily limited.
Glenn said
I don't know of any monolingual English speakers who do this.
I had a friend in the mid- to late-1970s who would say "We're heading to (place of amusement). Want to go with?" She was as monolingual midwestern white-bread as they come, although she might have picked it up from an international student, I suppose.
The question of go / come with + [null] is a very interesting one. However, to my way of thinking, it centers on the deletion of an object of the preposition with, and that is a totally different matter than the original question of deletion of the preposition to. Am I missing the connection?
In any event, would one of you be so kind as to start a separate discussion of go / come with + [null] so that we can do it justice?
Glenn said
In any event, would one of you be so kind as to start a separate discussion of go / come with + [null] so that we can do it justice?
"We're headed to the Flyers versus Loyola game. Wanna come?" and "We're headed to the Flyers versus Loyola game. Wanna come with?" have slightly different meanings.
To the first question, you might respond:
- Sure. Can I ride with you?
- Sure. I'll meet you there.
No, I have a hangover.
To the second question, one might respond:
- Sure thing!
- No, I'll meet you there?
- No, I have a hangover.
To "go with" implies shared transportation, but to "go" merely indicated shared attendance
Emily1776, know what, your presentation is very becoming, but the direction of the discussion has gone above and beyond, yon, thither , hither , fro, to so much so I can not see it through, so you have to excuse, because I now want to go under, hoping by the time I come to, this discussion might be over with.
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
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