Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-2021
Volume
3
Issue
1
Abstract
In this paper, I describe and analyze an instance of micro-syntactic variation in American English, a construction I refer to as get my X on. There is considerable flexibility in the construction, involving the types of determiners allowed, the phrasal verbs used, and most notably, the structure of the DP my X. In Standard American English, the X following a possessive pronoun is generally restricted to nouns. However, in this construction, X can be a lexical verb like sing, teach, or even celebrate. Some speakers of African American English accept only the bare verb, rejecting concrete nouns, verb-derived nouns, and gerunds, which are typically less marked for SAE speakers.
Recommended Citation
Lei, Heidi, "Get My Syntax On" (2021). Yale Working Papers in Grammatical Diversity. 9.
https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/ygdp/9