Paul Greenberg :: Townhall.com :: Modals and Me

Paul Greenberg :: Townhall.com :: Modals and Me

"One of the great advantages of a regional dialect is that it's rooted in real life and real distinctions, like the one between 'I could' and 'I might could,' each with a different degree of probability. To sacrifice such shades of meaning for no better reason than a false respectability is to lose sight of what language ought to be about: conveying meaning precisely, even about imprecision."

Greenberg quotes a linguist: "The use of double modals in Southern American English fills a gap in Standard English grammar, namely the loss of inflectional distinction in English between indicative and subjunctive modals. Dialect or regional forms are often more progressive in gap-filling than is a standard language." Greenberg cites the distinction between "you" and "y'all" as another example of the greater precision of the Suthuhn tongue.