In this area, the vernacular "Do you want to come with?" is common and I've never heard anyone correct the speaker's grammar. I knew it wasn't used in other parts of the country but didn't know it's origin ... until yesterday. I was listening to a German CD and the speaker said, "Kommst du mit?" The German word "mitkommen" means "come along" but is usually conjugated so the sentence translates to "Do you want to come with?" I then remembered a recent e-mail from a friend of the 1890 census map showing the distribution of 'Germanic Nationals' in the U.S. It depicted my state as heavily German. It all clicked into place. This little snippet of dialect is just an verbal remnant of our grandparents. Think I'll keep it.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Crabapple buds
In this area, the vernacular "Do you want to come with?" is common and I've never heard anyone correct the speaker's grammar. I knew it wasn't used in other parts of the country but didn't know it's origin ... until yesterday. I was listening to a German CD and the speaker said, "Kommst du mit?" The German word "mitkommen" means "come along" but is usually conjugated so the sentence translates to "Do you want to come with?" I then remembered a recent e-mail from a friend of the 1890 census map showing the distribution of 'Germanic Nationals' in the U.S. It depicted my state as heavily German. It all clicked into place. This little snippet of dialect is just an verbal remnant of our grandparents. Think I'll keep it.
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2 comments:
I have lived in Indiana for over 35 years and still use the phrase - going to the store - want to go with? Sounds natural to me. However, have taken a lot of good natured ribbing, over the years, about using this phrase.
Of course, living in the South all those years, I learned to adapt.
Northern phrase - "I'm going to the store. Do you want to come with?" ....translate....
Southern phrase - "I'm fixin' to go to the store. Y'all comin'?"
Rebecca
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