Re: Are "semi-creoles" widespread?

In article <1188413256.246809.20010@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Darkstar <darkstar100@xxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Aug 29, 8:29 pm, Harlan Messinger
<hmessinger.removet...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Darkstar wrote:
On Aug 29, 5:13 pm, LEE Sau Dan <dan...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
"Darkstar" == Darkstar <darkstar...@xxxxxxxx> writes:
Darkstar> Now we seem to witness the loss of "to" in infinitives
Darkstar> as in "help do something" and the formation of "wanna",
Darkstar> "gonna", "gotta" as new standard verbs and their gradual
Darkstar> infiltration into the written speech,

If "wanna" etc. are full verbs, what are their past tense form and
past participle? Can you form the present continuous tense from it?

> "Want" is not used in Progressive/Continuous in modern grammar.

Sure it is. "Always leave them wanting more." "His performance was
wanting." "I often find myself wanting to return to my hometown but I
can't afford the housing prices there." "Wanting to go is not the same
as having to go."

Consult a grammar textbook about the difference among the Gerund, the
ing-form, and the Progressive/Continuous Tense.

Perhaps once you consult such a grammar textbook (not that anyone
expects you to actually do so), you'll discover that progressive and
continuous are aspects, not tenses.

Here's your progressive/continuous "want", in perfectly normal English:

We've all been wanting you to do actual research in
linguistics, but you continue to disappoint us.

Even a little Google research would have been enough for you to
realize that, once again, your unresearched claim is completely wrong:

"am wanting" gets over half a million Google hits
"is wanting" gets almost a million
"are wanting" gets more than a million and a half
"was/were wanting" together are just over a million
"been wanting" is at two million
"be wanting" is almost at a million

So we have a grand total of around *seven million* hits for the
progressive of "wanting", which is about two or three times as many
hits for the progressive of such quintessential verbs as "swimming".

The number is likely greater than seven million, since it is difficult
to search for bare progressives, such as those used in news headlines,
relative clauses, or casual questions, where the copula that usually
triggers the progressive can often be absent (along with other words):

"Farmers [are] wanting a soaking rain"
<http://www.hpj.com/archives/2007/aug07/aug6/Farmerswantingasoakingrain
..cfm>

"Voters [who are] wanting to vote absentee Sept. 11 should apply now"
<http://www.adaeveningnews.com/local/local_story_239093917.html>

"[Are you] Wanting to have your say?"
<http://1410wizm.com/news/index.php?newsid=3057>

Nathan

--
Nathan Sanders
Linguistics Program
Williams College
http://wso.williams.edu/~nsanders/

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

.

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