Five Things Make a Post

[rolanni]

1.  I grew up in an area where the construction "might could" was allowable -- as was "youse" and "y'all" (but not "all y'all") -- these are the benefits of growing up in a border state.  In any case, I needed clarity on whether "might could" was a Maine eccentricity, and of course, I turned to the internet, where I found this fascinating (if you like that kind of thing) discussion.

2.  Barnes & Noble and Simon & Schuster are having an argument.  So, of course, it seems like a swell idea for B&N to take it out on S&S's writers.  Who can do nothing about any of it; who are not part of the problem; and who will lose money and perhaps readers while existing fans write to them asking if they know that Barnes and Noble refuses to carry their book.  I've lost count, but this?  Is another reason why writers drink.*

2a.  Here's the Wall Street Journal article

2b.  Here's the blog of one author caught in the middle

2c.  Here's another blog of another affected author, who has decided to Do Something

3.  In another news, Harper-Collins is the latest in a series of publishers to adopt the Humpty Dumpty Theory of Language ("When I use a word, it means what I want it to mean").  Here's that link.

4.  I very much doubt that I'm going to list the songs to which I know the lyrics.  It just seems that my time could be more profitably spent doing something else.  You are certainly free to use your imaginations.

5.  I'm working on a short story, so there is no Carousel Seas snippet tonight.  Maybe tomorrow.  Though I sorta hope to finish the short story tomorrow.

Good-night Wesley; sleep well.  I'll most likely kill you in the morning.

Comments

[the wol (from livejournal.com)]

I'm a native Texan, and I use "might could" but I wouldn't use it in my writing unless a character said it.

b&n,

[nfurman.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for the link to Stephanie Burgis! I have found another author . Hoping she doesn't get totally smashed in the battle of giants, but I will be reading (that is buying!) her books.

Might could

[catherine ives (from livejournal.com)]

This construction is used here in S. UT by native speakers. I have noticed it is not used where I have lived before: MA, NY, IL, CA, Canada. I have lived in AZ In Phoenix but I didn't know any good ole boys and girls so I didn't hear it. . I bet native speakers use it there. I am sure that there are many other constructions used only in a particular part of the country. I would guess that those that move try to start talking like their neighbors in order to, as you say, not be judged.
However there seems to be one exception to this rule. New Yorkers, especially those of Jewish descent, frequently throw various Yiddish words into their speech. Now a lot of others all over the country are sometimes heard to do the same. But the others often do a very bad job with the Yiddish words using them incorrectly. Rachel Maddow tried to use a Yiddish word tonight on her TV show....I believe she is originally from CA...but I think used it incorrectly although I'm not sure because I am not an expert. I might look it up when I have the time.
Hoping Socks is maintaining,
C.

mishegoss

[catherine ives (from livejournal.com)]

So I looked up the Yiddish word mishegoss which means "craziness" "insanity". Maddow used it tonight to refer to the whole proceedings of the Supreme Court on DOMA. Did she mean to say that the proceedings over all where "crazy" or insane?" I don't know.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

I had "might could" in mind for dialog this time, but I also use dialect for color in narrative.

[kk1raven.livejournal.com]

B&N just keeps giving me reasons not to do business with them.

Re: Might could

[jessie-c.livejournal.com]

Sorry, for some reason known only to eljay, my reply got attached to this comment instead of the one it was supposed to go to.

Re: mishegoss

[jessie-c.livejournal.com]

I expect that she was referring to the people who support keeping a segment of the population as second-class citizens without equal civil rights, and the gigantic waste of the Court's time and resources this whole mess has caused.

Might Could

[rnjtolch.livejournal.com]

Margaret Maron's character Deborah Knott has a father, a former (?) moonshiner named Kezzie, who uses that expression all the time.

Re: mishegoss

[attilathepbnun.livejournal.com]

There's also 'meshugga', or 'meshugganeh', both of which mean crazy .....

[the wol (from livejournal.com)]

Now that you mention it, if I was using first person POV, the narrative would be in the "voice" of that person, in which case, if that person was likely to say "might could" or "fixing to (do something)" then that's how I'd write it. I find reading things aloud helps me smooth them and get the rhythm and flow right. I have a feeling that you and Steve do the same. Reading aloud is a lost art. How many afternoons did women spend gathered in the back parlour with their handwork and sewing, each person taking a turn reading aloud from a book to the group, or having a child read aloud to them? It used to be family entertainment for one person to read a book aloud to the family. (or if the family was musical, to play music together, or have friends over for a fun night of sight-reading trio sonatas and string quartets). But then radio, and TV and the internet happened and in and amongst all our time and labor saving devices, nobody has time any more. You and Steve might be interested to check out the BBC radio 4 site for an "audio play" based on Neil Gaiman's book "Neverwhere" with Christopher Lee, Benedict Cumberbach, et al. You can stream it from the web.

Rachel Adds again to my vocabulary

[catherine ives (from livejournal.com)]

Yes, I think as Jesse C commented that using mishegoss to mean craziness refers to the folks who think that certain kinds of Americans should not marry while allowing other kinds of Americans to marry. I think we should make up a rule that red haired people should not be allowed to go to the movies. Or some such.

Tonight Rachel used the word "Kerfuffle" to refer to a big explosion in TX which happened because of a natural gas fracking operation went really wrong and exploded. Luckily no one was killed. I hadn't understood the word which is used by a British gent who I know. So I just looked it up. It comes from the Scottish Gaelic "curfuffle" ....to twist and disarray...and is used in general in the UK. This fracking incident was defininitely a kerfuffle.
Now...the author could if she wishes do a short explanation on cat language. I'd imagine that the Maine Coons have a large vocabulary. How different from other cats like Scrabble?, and so on.
Thank you very much.