Atlas of Pidgin and Creole Language Structures Online
Home
Languages
Features
WALS–APiCS
Surveys
Examples
Sources
Authors
Example 14-104
Dey got a fly messing with me.
Dey
expl
got
got.
exist
a
a
fly
fly
messing
messing
with
with
me.
me
There is a fly bothering me (lit. There is a fly messing with me).
Comment:
This expletive construction may be limited to certain varieties of African American English.
Type:
naturalistic spoken
Source:
Green 2002
: 82
Language:
African American English
by
Lisa Green
cite
Datapoints:
Existential verb and transitive possession verb: Identity
×