3rd person don't
Posted by Kathi on August 06, 1998 at 00:38:49:
In response to Don't as 3rd. sg., written by The Mysterious H.C. on August 05, 1998 at 20:37:25
] Third person singular "don't" hasn't been accepted in formal written style, but has been apparently been quite widespread in the speech even of some quite respectable groups (Woodrow Wilson is supposed to have used it, I think I remember reading in Mencken's "American Language").
When I visited Williamsburg with my Japanese students, I remember that the guide told us that some forms that were no longer acceptable were used in the 1770s, and I believe third person don't was one of the forms she cited. What was funny was that as she listed the unacceptable forms, my students were carefully repeating them after her! I had to interrupt to make sure they understood that these are the forms they aren't supposed to use.
- ESL and Austen Mary B 10:48:43 8/07/98
(0)
Posting followups to old messages is disabled; instead go to the main index and post a new message which mentions this one.
