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Usenet Posted 22 years ago
Learning
Be be be
I noticed this at work and at home.
X years ago you never heard middle class white folks in Minnesota, me, saying
"Don't be doing that"
rather it was
"Stop doing that" or "Don't do that"
"Be" is showing up all over the place now. I think hip-hop is getting the better of us.
The kids now get a dime everytime they catch us saying the 'be' word unnecesarily. I'd go broke except that I nail them too. Its also become quite a game at work trouncing memos and speech. "be" is right up there with "yah but".
X years ago you never heard middle class white folks in Minnesota, me, saying
"Don't be doing that"
rather it was
"Stop doing that" or "Don't do that"
"Be" is showing up all over the place now. I think hip-hop is getting the better of us.
The kids now get a dime everytime they catch us saying the 'be' word unnecesarily. I'd go broke except that I nail them too. Its also become quite a game at work trouncing memos and speech. "be" is right up there with "yah but".
Top answer
[nq:1]I noticed this at work and at home. X years ago you never heard middle class white folks in Minnesota, ... do that" means that you shouldn't do whatever right now.
- [nq:1]I noticed this at work and at home.
- X years ago you never heard middle class white folks in Minnesota, ...
- do that" means that you shouldn't do whatever right now.
- " +-Jennifer Saunders, "Absolutely Fabulous"
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4 Answers
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[nq:1]I noticed this at work and at home. X years ago you never heard middle class white folks in Minnesota, ... do that" means that you shouldn't do whatever right now. "Don't be doing that" means you shouldn't ever do that.[/nq]
-- "Throw me that lipstick, darling, I wanna redo my stigmata." +-Jennifer Saunders, "Absolutely Fabulous"
-- "Throw me that lipstick, darling, I wanna redo my stigmata." +-Jennifer Saunders, "Absolutely Fabulous"
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[nq:2]X years ago you never heard middle class white folks in Minnesota, me, saying "Don't be doing that"[/nq]
Twenty-five years ago, I was working on a pier with a shipmate, who had a bad habit of mocking the way "other people" spoke.
This time, he said, "I be doing it!" right when a black shipmate walked by.
Tom spun around exclaiming,
" Who said that? Groleau? is
Twenty-five years ago, I was working on a pier with a shipmate, who had a bad habit of mocking the way "other people" spoke.
This time, he said, "I be doing it!" right when a black shipmate walked by.
Tom spun around exclaiming,
" Who said that? Groleau? is
00
on 29 Dec 2003:
[nq:2]I noticed this at work and at home. X years ... now. I think hip-hop is getting the better of us.[/nq]
Only if you allow yourself to listen to it. Turn your radio station to one that plays classical music, blues, or jazz; don't watch MTV; plug your ears when hip-hop-slop or rap-**** is in the air; don't be so willing to give up your own language; imitate the English
[nq:2]I noticed this at work and at home. X years ... now. I think hip-hop is getting the better of us.[/nq]
Only if you allow yourself to listen to it. Turn your radio station to one that plays classical music, blues, or jazz; don't watch MTV; plug your ears when hip-hop-slop or rap-**** is in the air; don't be so willing to give up your own language; imitate the English
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[nq:2]I noticed this at work and at home. X years ... and speech. "be" is right up there with "yah but".[/nq]
[nq:1]The invariant 'be' is an aspect marker for the habitual present tense. "Don't do that" means that you shouldn't do ... for habitual actions and states, whereas the present continuous (or progressive) is used for current (usually fairly short term) activities.[/nq]
BTW "Don't
[nq:1]The invariant 'be' is an aspect marker for the habitual present tense. "Don't do that" means that you shouldn't do ... for habitual actions and states, whereas the present continuous (or progressive) is used for current (usually fairly short term) activities.[/nq]
BTW "Don't
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