Just out of curiosity, I’ve never heard that construction before. Is it simply a Pittsburg thing or what other regions speak this way?
Me am superman!
I’m with Waenara. Just because a lot of people say it doesn’t mean it’s correct.
It’s still wrong.
“My car needs washed” is incorrect.
“My car needs to be washed” is correct.
Sorry if that makes me a Grammar Nazi, but that’s just the way it is.
One thing that I always thought was awkward was the phrase “must needs” in which “needs” is an adverb meaning “necessarily.” You don’t see it much nowadays, but a long time ago it was common.
I’m from north-central Pennsylvania and I’ve used this construction my whole life. It doesn’t make me stupid, thank you very much, it’s a habit. I’m used to it, so it doesn’t sound wrong to me. I wouldn’t write it in a research paper, but there are occasions when I say it, just because that’s the way I talk. And that’s the way a lot of people talk in my area. Yeah, it’s grammatically incorrect. Oh well. Everybody’s grammatically incorrect at one point or another. ::shrug::
Another yinzer popping up to say that yes, I hear it a lot in Pittsburgh. Some people that I know actually didn’t know saying “the car needs washed” or equivalent was wrong until they were corrected.
It doesn’t bother me that much–it’s interesting to watch language change. There are examples all around us, some more irritating than others:
-People saying “Give this to Sally or I” or even “Give it to Sally or myself.”
-I haven’t heard anyone under the age of 40 say “This is he,” when someone on the phone asks for them (they usually say “this is him.”)
I used to get all bent out of shape about it, but hey, the way people use language does change over time, and it’s not really something you can hope to stop.
I grew up almost exclusively in Texas and used that phrase until I was about 10, when my mother corrected me. I have no idea where I picked it up from. Maybe TV?
Didn’t you mean:
I am going to hold my breath until people start using infinitives and/or gerunds again.
or
I am holding my breath yadda, yadda, yadda
or was that intended?
We say it all the time here in West Virginia. Growing up in west KY, though, I don’t recall saying it.
Good idea - do you think Sarah Silverman is available for that?
Ding, ding, ding!
Blowero, when did it become “OK” to say “OK”? the "word"you used in your OP?
“Word History: OK is a quintessentially American term that has spread from English to many other languages. Its origin was the subject of scholarly debate for many years until Allen Walker Read showed that OK is based on a joke of sorts. OK is first recorded in 1839 but was probably in circulation before that date. During the 1830s there was a humoristic fashion in Boston newspapers to reduce a phrase to initials and supply an explanation in parentheses. Sometimes the abbreviations were misspelled to add to the humor. OK was used in March 1839 as an abbreviation for all correct, the joke being that neither the O nor the K was correct. Originally spelled with periods, this term outlived most similar abbreviations owing to its use in President Martin Van Buren’s 1840 campaign for reelection. Because he was born in Kinderhook, New York, Van Buren was nicknamed Old Kinderhook, and the abbreviation proved eminently suitable for political slogans. That same year, an editorial referring to the receipt of a pin with the slogan O.K. had this comment: “frightful letters… significant of the birth-place of Martin Van Buren, old Kinderhook, as also the rallying word of the Democracy of the late election, ‘all correct’… Those who wear them should bear in mind that it will require their most strenuous exertions… to make all things O.K.””
I suppose the bottom line is that if you understand what the person is saying, it is “ok”.
But…HOW COME people say HOW COME instead of “why”?
Now THAT drives me up the wall for some reason.
And what the hell is “wileding”?
Hear! Hear!
Hey, quit picking on MY regionalisms. An old thread:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=49906
Like it or not, it’s not a new phenomenon. It’s been in use in that part of the country for generations, and is heavily ingrained.
Miller: So you’re saying that English should bring back case markings for nouns? After all, some may consider that dropping those for everything except personal pronouns was a stupid change.
When come back, you needs bring pie.
This is something we like to pick on in my family, since it is relatively common around here.
I recall hearing from my sister that she learned from the professor in a History of English course that this construction comes from a legitimate use in Scots. I can’t give any cites; I am a bit removed from the source of that information. And I might not be remembering correctly. Maybe my memory needs improved.
That one doesn’t bother me. I don’t know why - maybe because it’s slang as opposed to bad grammar. I guess “needs polished” is my nails-on-a-chalkboard, while “OK” is yours. You’re quite welcome to start your own thread about it.
Speaking allows subtle inflection - such as the way one says baby when saying “my baby daddy” – to prevent confusion. Ain’t no such thing in writing.
I agree you need calm down. Nonetheless, I agree that if one is writing up a sales pitch, colloquial and careless phrases needs polishing. IMHO.
Another tip for eBay sellers: long, wordy descriptions needs tightening.
No, no. The correct incorrect construction would be: “…long, wordy descriptions need tightened.”