Ask-A-Linguist Message Details
| Subject: | 'Stay' for 'Live' |
|---|---|
| Question: |
I'm curious about the origin and distribution of the use of ''stay'' in AAVE/BEV where SAE uses ''live'', as in ''I stay at aunt's house'' or ''My family stays in Detroit''. This is standard usage among Detroit blacks, but I'm curious about: -- Is it mostly limited to black/POC or urban communities? -- Is it in usage outside of Detroit and if so, where else? -- Are there any opinions about its origin? Googled conversations and Urban Dictionary seem to be of the opinion that it relates to the relative transience of the urban black population, but I'm not convinced. Thanks for any information. |
| Reply: |
I know nothing about the speech of black Americans, but "stay" for "live (at a place)" is normal usage in Scotland, so much so that I think it would not be seen by educated Scots as non-standard. South of the border, in England, it sounds very strange – I remember when I first encountered it, talking to a Scot, there was real misunderstanding for a while. Geoffrey Sampson |
| Reply From: | Geoffrey Richard Sampson click here to access email |
| Date: | 01-Mar-2013 |
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