The liked to in statements such as It started raining yesterday and liked to never stop is directly related to the word likely. The terms liked to and likedta used in this way reflect a British dialectal term that found its way into the speech of...
Haddie from Houston, Texas, is curious about the phrase as long as Pat stayed in the Army, which applies to something short-lived. The phrase appears in Kentucky newspapers as early as 1898. No one’s sure who Pat was, although perhaps it’s the name...
Barbara in Norfolk, Virginia, wonders about the drawl of Southern American English. A great resource on how people perceive others’ dialects is the work of linguist Dennis Preston and his book Perceptual Dialectology. This is part of a complete...
I don’t want nairn, meaning “I don’t want any,” is a contraction of never a one, and it’s been used for hundreds of years. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Nairn” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hello, this is Jane. I’m calling...
When it comes to words like reckon, is it true that Southerners preserve the Queen’s English? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Reckon” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, my name’s Terry and I’m calling from Madison, Wisconsin...
The word anyways, spelled with an s, has come into vogue among writers looking to transition from stilted language into something more reader-friendly. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Anyways” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi...