On Wed, 09 Nov 2016 18:27:09 -0500, wrote:

On Wed, 09 Nov 2016 17:41:31 -0500, Poquito Loco
wrote:

On Wed, 9 Nov 2016 14:16:35 -0800 (PST), True North wrote:

The John flushes...
- show quoted text -
"He might could find a basement in Nova Scotia someplace. There's someone there that seems to be in
love with him."


Say what..."He might could"??
There's the reason your education system is failing urban schools......hiring old re-tread soldiers as teachers.

If that was beyond your understanding, go put your head back in the toilet.

Here, maybe you'll learn something:

34
down vote
accepted


This is a construction that is restricted to certain dialects of US English. In Standard English, it
is not grammatical. (This construction is also often stigmatized, which means you would want to be
especially careful before using it — you could be judged!)

However, this construction is used systematically in certain dialects of American English. To
describe it clearly, I want to define a few linguistic terms I will use to sort out a crucial
three-way distinction:

grammatical: A usage is systematic and acceptable within a certain dialect, standard or not.
(Often, "grammatical" is used outside of linguistics as shorthand for "used in Standard English".
Note that the linguistic definition is broader than the layman's definition!)
speech error: In contrast to grammatical statements, speech errors are random and unpredictable.
standard: This usage is grammatical in a standard form of English.

People who use this "might could" construction are not making a speech error — within this dialect,
it is grammatical. Informally, this is used throughout the southern US, but has not spread to any
other region I am aware of. Interestingly, it so happens that the same construction is standard in
German.

A description of how this works:

What is going on in "might could" constructions is a process called "modal stacking", where multiple
modal verbs (e.g. "could", "should", "might", "would", etc.) can be stacked on top of each other.
Each added modal verb contributes towards the overall meaning of the sentence. In Standard English,
to convey the same meaning, we have to use another construction:

I might could do that. -- I might be able to do that.

We are doing effectively the same thing in standard English in terms of semantics, it's just that we
have to change things around to get around a syntactic restriction.

These constructions are not redundant by definition (they are only redundant if you stack them
redundantly!). Neither "I might do that" nor "I could do that" would have the same meaning as "I
might could do that".

Other constructions include:

I might should do that. (= "Maybe I should do that")

I used to could do that. (= "I used to be able to do that")

To sum up:

Modal stacking is not sloppy, meaningless, or redundant; linguistically, it is a systematic process
(which I think is really cool!). It is just non-standard in English — something one would avoid
using outside of this particular dialect group, especially because (like many features of Southern
English) it carries a certain stigma outside of where it is used. But within that group, it is a
productive and useful construction.

===

So are you fixin to do mo modal stacking an creative dialectin in da
future?

I might could if'n I get the 'portunitee.

justan wrote:
Poquito Loco Wrote in message:
On Wed, 09 Nov 2016 15:12:41 -0500, wrote:

On Wed, 9 Nov 2016 13:29:34 -0600, amdx wrote:

After Donald Trump is the president elect, I see no posts.
Did he head for Canada at 2AM?
===

It's my opinion that Canada would probably not take him.
He might could find a basement in Nova Scotia someplace. There's someone there that seems to be in
love with him.

I don't think Krause would go for a basement suite with a dirt floor.

He could help Don and his wife push the boat into the skinny driveway.

Ditzy Dan Kruger spittles....

justan wrote:
Poquito Loco Wrote in message:
On Wed, 09 Nov 2016 15:12:41 -0500, wrote:

On Wed, 9 Nov 2016 13:29:34 -0600, amdx wrote:

After Donald Trump is the president elect, I see no posts.
Did he head for Canada at 2AM?
===

It's my opinion that Canada would probably not take him.
He might could find a basement in Nova Scotia someplace. There's someone there that seems to be in
love with him.

I don't think Krause would go for a basement suite with a dirt floor.

"He could help Don and his wife push the boat into the skinny driveway."



Huh?
This morning I backed the bow rider confidently and expertly down the 90 foot driveway through a narrow bottleneck and into it's winter resting area. No muss and no fuss.

True North wrote:
Ditzy Dan Kruger spittles....

justan wrote:
Poquito Loco Wrote in message:
On Wed, 09 Nov 2016 15:12:41 -0500, wrote:

On Wed, 9 Nov 2016 13:29:34 -0600, amdx wrote:

After Donald Trump is the president elect, I see no posts.
Did he head for Canada at 2AM?
===

It's my opinion that Canada would probably not take him.
He might could find a basement in Nova Scotia someplace. There's
someone there that seems to be in
love with him.

I don't think Krause would go for a basement suite with a dirt floor.

"He could help Don and his wife push the boat into the skinny driveway."



Huh?
This morning I backed the bow rider confidently and expertly down the 90
foot driveway through a narrow bottleneck and into it's winter resting
area. No muss and no fuss.


Winter resting place. Frigg'n snow! Mine is out front of the house for a
trip to the ocean for crabbing this weekend if the swells die down. Last
weekend was the opener, and never took it off the trailer. Even the guides
canceled trips today. Someone did flip a Whaler today leaving the jaws at
Half Moon Bay. Surf breaking over the reef all the way to shore.
Mavericks must have been wild. Is just north of the harbor.

On Wednesday, November 9, 2016 at 10:29:23 PM UTC-5, True North wrote:

Huh?
This morning I backed the bow rider confidently and expertly down the 90 foot driveway through a narrow bottleneck and into it's winter resting area. No muss and no fuss.

90 foot driveway? BAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Do I have to post your house photo AGAIN, asswipe? Your lane way is about 25 feet at the most, you lying sack of ****.

True North Wrote in message:
Ditzy Dan Kruger spittles....

justan wrote:
Poquito Loco Wrote in message:
On Wed, 09 Nov 2016 15:12:41 -0500, wrote:

On Wed, 9 Nov 2016 13:29:34 -0600, amdx wrote:

After Donald Trump is the president elect, I see no posts.
Did he head for Canada at 2AM?
===

It's my opinion that Canada would probably not take him.
He might could find a basement in Nova Scotia someplace. There's someone there that seems to be in
love with him.

I don't think Krause would go for a basement suite with a dirt floor.

"He could help Don and his wife push the boat into the skinny driveway."



Huh?
This morning I backed the bow rider confidently and expertly down the 90 foot driveway through a narrow bottleneck and into it's winter resting area. No muss and no fuss.


Put all those bottles in a barrel and take them to the curb for
pickup. That hovel needs to be cleaned up or blown
up.
--
x


----Android NewsGroup Reader----
http://usenet.sinaapp.com/

On 11/9/2016 4:41 PM, Poquito Loco wrote:
On Wed, 9 Nov 2016 14:16:35 -0800 (PST), True North wrote:



In your fine explanation you used* the sentence below.

"I used* to be able to do that"

In the first used*, the the word used has the meaning,
"employed in accomplishing something"
In your example sentence it seems to me a bit odd, although it is
very common to hear or read it used that way.
Can you delineate, elucidate, and expound on that use of the word.

Thanks, Mikek

PS.
Any chance Krause self immolated after the election?
Still MIA.

Justine giggles....

True North Wrote in message:
- show quoted text -
"Put all those bottles in a barrel and take them to the curb for
Â*pickup. That hovel needs to be cleaned up or blown
Â*up."


SNERK.....the FlordiaFunnyMan attempts to be humorous again.
Better stick with your day job.......oh wait..you don't have one.

True North Wrote in message:
Justine giggles....

True North Wrote in message:
- show quoted text -
"Put all those bottles in a barrel and take them to the curb for
pickup. That hovel needs to be cleaned up or blown
up."


SNERK.....the FlordiaFunnyMan attempts to be humorous again.
Better stick with your day job.......oh wait..you don't have one.


Fully retired and lovin it.
Have you done any cleanin up since we last googled the place?
--
x


----Android NewsGroup Reader----
http://usenet.sinaapp.com/

justine giggles...
- show quoted text -
"Fully retired and lovin it.
Have you done any cleanin up since we last googled the place?"


Who's "we"? You and your two boyfriends Scott Secord Dickson and his Mini Me, the L'il Snot?