This is a variant of that and v.v.

Question

It true that some native English speakers would consider the following sentence as grammatical.

"I might could be persuaded to try that."

But, could we say that "I could be persuaded to try that" is a variation/variant form of that sentence, and v.v.?

Nona the brit · Accepted Answer

I wouldn't consider 'might could' grammatical.

Milky · Answer

Nona The BritI wouldn't consider 'might could' grammatical.

If it's not of your variant, I understand, but it is grammatical for some other native speakers.

Inchoateknowledge · Answer

Hello Milky

To my personal knowledge, double modal constructions are not grammatical.

A modal may not follow another modal.

Anonymous · Answer

"I might could be persuaded to try that."

Which dialect is this grammatical in?

Milky · Answer

InchoateknowledgeHello Milky

To my personal knowledge, double modal constructions are not grammatical.

A modal may not follow another modal.

In which variant/s?

Anonymous · Answer

http://home.bluemarble.net/~langmin/miniatures/doublemodal.htm

/km

Milky · Answer

Alienvoord"I might could be persuaded to try that."

Which dialect is this grammatical in?

http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=20001120

Take a look here:

2.4 Modal stacking

The complement of a modal cannot be a Finite verb, as there is no room in INFL for a

second instance of Finite/Deixis. This explains why standard English, which has no nonÔnite

forms of modals in its lexicon, does not allow modals to be "stacked" as in (40b).

However, German and some non-standard dialects of English do allow stacking.

.....

"In stacking dialects of English, the infnitive forms of modals are generally phonologically identical with the present or past

finite forms. For example, in the sentences in (43) (taken from Di Paolo 1989: 195), can, should, and oughta function as infnitives.

(43) a. We might can go up there next Saturday.

b. This thing here I might should turn over to Ann.

c. Well, once we get under way, it shouldn't oughta take us very long.

Since the present and past forms of English modals have been diverging in their lexical semantics, it is not entirely surprising to observe that they are treated as uninflected forms of separate verbs in some dialects.

http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~danhall/hall.generals.2001.pdf

Milky · Answer

http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0003-1283%28199324%2968%3A4%3C430%3AEFBSOD%3E2.0.CO%3B2-1&size=LARGE

Milky · Answer

Our Living Language In many Southern U.S. varieties of English, might can be paired with other auxiliary verbs such as could, as in We might could park over there. Words like might and could are known as modals, since they express certain “moods” (for example, I might go indicates an uncertain mood on the part of the speaker). Combinations such as might could, might would, and might can are known as double modals. Other less common combinations include may can, may will, and might should. Since double modals typically begin with may or might, they lessen the degree of conviction or certainty (much like the word possibly) more than a single modal does. Double modals are used, for example, to minimize the force of what one is saying, as when asking someone for a favor or when indicating displeasure. • Although double modals may sound odd outside of the South, they carry little if any social stigma within the South and are used by speakers of all social classes and educational levels—even in formal instances like political addresses. Like many features of Southern varieties of English, the use of double modals is probably due to the fact that many of the first English speakers in the South were Scotch-Irish, whose speech made use of double modals. This feature has been noted as far back as the Middle English period, but today's most common forms were not used to any great extent until the mid-18th century. They are surprisingly rare in dialect fiction but do occasionally occur, as in Old Yeller by Fred Gipson: “Jumper's liable to throw a fit with that hide rattling along behind him, and you might not can hold him by yourself.”

http://www.answers.com/topic/might

Mister Micawber · Answer

they carry little if any social stigma within the South and are used by speakers of all social classes and educational levels—even in formal instances like political addresses.

This is untrue. The use of paired modals in the South (the land of my birth) remains the province of the poorly educated and the jocular.

This is a variant of that and v.v.

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