He deals the cards as a meditation
And those he plays never suspect
He doesn't play for the money he wins
He ???don't??? play for respect
And those he plays never suspect
He doesn't play for the money he wins
He ???don't??? play for respect
Why don't?
Context?
Using the wrong particle is common among colloquial speech, i.e. exchanging "doesn't" for "don't" and vice versa. It's definitely very wrong, but especially in areas such as the south of the US and sometimes less educated areas this is the case because it is the spoken norm. Also, in Ebonics this can hold true.
It's difficult though because it can be done at a whim and without any pattern. Welcome to English.
Using the wrong particle is common among colloquial speech, i.e. exchanging "doesn't" for "don't" and vice versa. It's definitely very wrong, but especially in areas such as the south of the US and sometimes less educated areas this is the case because it is the spoken norm. Also, in Ebonics this can hold true.
It's difficult though because it can be done at a whim and without any pattern. Welcome to English.
Simply I am being persuaded now that it is some sort of emphasis wich I tend to think is wrong
It is some sort of emphasis, actually, but it's very difficult to describe the nuance. The difference is not very important, though, and many speakers simply never use this sort of language. (It will also sound uneducated unless the other person is aware that you're doing it deliberately. But when such language appears in song lyrics, poetry, etc., it's always for effect.) This is the same sort of language that often features double negatives, usage of "ain't", etc. I wouldn't advise trying to imitate this sort of speech as a foreign speaker, unless you become so fluent that nobody can tell you're a foreign speaker. The reason is, even if you use this sort of speech correctly and skillfully, people might just think that you learned English improperly.
Anyway, if I had to describe the nuance, I would say that it gives the sentence a more "down-to-earth" feel -- that is, the opposite of lofty, flowery language. Also, sometimes "doesn't" might be shortened to "don't" to better fit the meter of a song or poem, but it will still usually carry the same nuance.
Some people will deliberately use all sorts of "improper" English for effect. For instance, "A little rain ain't never hurt nobody." It drives my mother crazy when I say such things, though. :)
<< Using the wrong particle is common among colloquial speech, i.e. exchanging "doesn't" for "don't" and vice versa. >>
I don't think "particle" is the word you're looking for here. I would describe it as a difference in verb form. I also wouldn't say "vice versa"; one could say "he don't know", but one couldn't say "I doesn't know" without sounding very silly or foreign.
- Kef
Anyway, if I had to describe the nuance, I would say that it gives the sentence a more "down-to-earth" feel -- that is, the opposite of lofty, flowery language. Also, sometimes "doesn't" might be shortened to "don't" to better fit the meter of a song or poem, but it will still usually carry the same nuance.
Some people will deliberately use all sorts of "improper" English for effect. For instance, "A little rain ain't never hurt nobody." It drives my mother crazy when I say such things, though. :)
<< Using the wrong particle is common among colloquial speech, i.e. exchanging "doesn't" for "don't" and vice versa. >>
I don't think "particle" is the word you're looking for here. I would describe it as a difference in verb form. I also wouldn't say "vice versa"; one could say "he don't know", but one couldn't say "I doesn't know" without sounding very silly or foreign.
- Kef
<<So it's an AE thing >>
No, it's not. It is very common in all forms of English. Sting, in fact, is British.
No, it's not. It is very common in all forms of English. Sting, in fact, is British.
Listen to furrykef... this is all sound reasoning.
Thank you, you're right about the vice versa thing. Didn't think about it that way!
However, "don't" technically is a particle even though we don't think of it as one (it's really the 'do' particle negated with the 'not' particle, so two particles kind of) both of which symbolize meaning that have no concrete attributes.
When we say "Do you want to go to the store?" the 'do' has no other meaning than to make it a question statement. Of course we can say "Wanna go to the store?" for really informal or abrupt situations, but do is generally a particle unless paired with the other particle 'to', also known as the infinitive, to create 'to do' which has a totally separate meaning altogether.
Thank you, you're right about the vice versa thing. Didn't think about it that way!
However, "don't" technically is a particle even though we don't think of it as one (it's really the 'do' particle negated with the 'not' particle, so two particles kind of) both of which symbolize meaning that have no concrete attributes.
When we say "Do you want to go to the store?" the 'do' has no other meaning than to make it a question statement. Of course we can say "Wanna go to the store?" for really informal or abrupt situations, but do is generally a particle unless paired with the other particle 'to', also known as the infinitive, to create 'to do' which has a totally separate meaning altogether.
I think if you listen carefully a few times to the song, you'll realize Sting is actually singing "doesn't" in that last line but the "s" sound is just glossed over enough that it almost sounds like "dunt".
"It is very common in all forms of English."
It's substandard English. It's bad English. Let's just ignore it.
It's substandard English. It's bad English. Let's just ignore it.
Shaun, I think you've been watching too many episodes of the Beverly Hillbillies.
The use of "don't" in the aforementioned sentence is common only in the less educated Southerners on the lower socio-economic rung of the ladder.
Better educated Southerners do sometimes use a glottal stop for the "s", however, making the word sound like "dut-und."
The use of "don't" in the aforementioned sentence is common only in the less educated Southerners on the lower socio-economic rung of the ladder.
Better educated Southerners do sometimes use a glottal stop for the "s", however, making the word sound like "dut-und."
"It's substandard English. It's bad English. Let's just ignore it."
Yes,that's right. If we all put our hands over our ears and stamp our feet and scream at the top of our voices it will just go away...
Yes,that's right. If we all put our hands over our ears and stamp our feet and scream at the top of our voices it will just go away...