What's that mean?

Question

Michael: What's that mean?Sawyer: Even a weatherman on TV don't know what's gonna happen.from the TV show 'Lost'.Well, what does talking this way in an ungrammatical way show? In informal context do you produce sentences like these? (This question is, of course, to the native speakers of English) For what effect?

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

Michael: What's that mean? << I wouldn't call this ungrammatical.

Sawyer: Even a weatherman on TV don't know what's gonna happen.

from the TV show 'Lost'.

Well, what does talking this way in an ungrammatical way show? In informal context do you produce sentences like these? No, I don't. (This question is, of course, to the native speakers of English) For what effect?

It usually shows a lack of education. It may also be used deliberately by someone in an attempt to show that they are ordinary people who don't think they are better than anyone else, who don't want to be perceived as speaking in a "fancy" way.

Best wishes, Clive

Linguaphile · Answer

CliveHi,

Michael: What's that mean? << I wouldn't call this ungrammatical.

What would you call that, Clive?

Clive · Answer

Hi,

I'd call it an acceptable abbreviation, for use in informal speech.

Clive

Khoff · Answer

Linguaphile, note: "What's that mean?" is a contraction for "what does that mean," not "what is that mean." The 's can take the place of "does" or "has" as well as "is". Is this what was confusingyou?

What's that mean?

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