"I seen..."

L L CG

New favorite pet peeve: people who not only say, "I seen..." but people who actually type it out to post on fb or message boards.  Seriously?  The only person I've known to do this in person was someone from Nebraska.  Is it a midwestern thing?  Its HORRIBLE.

joyco

It IS horrible and I know 2 people online who do it.  It makes me wonder why they think it's correct.  They're both from up north.

 

ETA:  my MIL is from Iowa and she says, "I says..."

katattack

I'm from Ohio, so technically Midwest I guess, and yes, it's horrible.  My cousin says it and all I can think when she does it is whether or not she says that in business conversations.  For the record, they do teach us proper English up there.

L L CG

joyco:

 

ETA:  my MIL is from Iowa and she says, "I says..."

OMG the lady I was thinking of from Nebraska says, "I says..." too!  SHUDDER! 

MrsMillerTime

Every time I see/hear someone say "I seen..." I think of the Bob Saget scene in Half Baked.  Because I'm 13.

(If you have no clue what I'm talking about, here's a NSFW clip from the movie: linky.)

brooke152

UGH.  I hate, hate, hate this phrase (if you can call it that).  My BIL says it sometimes and it makes me cringe.  I think it is just poor grammar, not a regional thing.  Sadly, this is frequently used by people from my neck of the woods.  OK is definitely not in the midwest, I consider it more "nowheres-ville".

Mrs.Purdue

my MOM says it! 

DH has a favorite story where we came home from a Purdue basketball game while we were in college and I had a message on my answering machine.  It was my mom saying "Hey T!  We seen you on TV!!"

He still says this sentence at least once a week and it's been 10 years since the incident.  

ali-1411

I'm from Michigan, I don't know anybody who says it.  But it reminds me of Diana from Anne of Green Gables.  She said it and was trying hard to break the habit

Confession:  I always say, "I've got" and I cringe every time I do.  

L L CG

MrsMillerTime:

Every time I see/hear someone say "I seen..." I think of the Bob Saget scene in Half Baked.  Because I'm 13.

(If you have no clue what I'm talking about, here's a NSFW clip from the movie: linky.)

That's awesome.  You just made my whole day. 

L L CG

Mrs.Purdue:

my MOM says it! 

DH has a favorite story where we came home from a Purdue basketball game while we were in college and I had a message on my answering machine.  It was my mom saying "Hey T!  We seen you on TV!!"

He still says this sentence at least once a week and it's been 10 years since the incident.  

HA!  

My mom used to speak fairly good English (she's a whitey and there is no reason why she shouldn't, its her first language) but now that she's married to a good ole boy from OK she says things like, "I don't know nuttin 'bout no _____."  Nothing can get my blood boiling quicker than than hearing her talk like that.   

chargermama

I HATE HATE HATE that saying..

I am also a hater of "mighta coulda" and "fixin to" and " shoulda woulda" and "useta could".  I am not a fan of y'all but I am in TX now so I have to accept it.  But when my 6 yr old says it my blood boils just a little

mlf625

"I seen" is tied with "fixin to" on my top 10 list of things people say that make me want to knock their teeth out.  I don't think it's a regional thing, it's a stupid people thing.

thethomps

Ooh!  Now that I'm a midwesterner I'm going to have to pay more attention and see if I notice anyone here talking like that.  I think I would (sort of unintentionally) give them a "Did you just say that?" look. 

bluestreet

Just to be a pain in "all y'all's necks"...my academic career is built on these types of constructions. I teach courses on and have published articles about the logic and rules of non-standard dialects of English. When I hear "I seen" or "might could", my heart gets all warm and fuzzy.

Cheers!

bluestreet

mlf625:

"I seen" is tied with "fixin to" on my top 10 list of things people say that make me want to knock their teeth out.  I don't think it's a regional thing, it's a stupid people thing.

Nope, it's a regional and cultural thing.

ssinca

mlf625:

"I seen" is tied with "fixin to" on my top 10 list of things people say that make me want to knock their teeth out.  I don't think it's a regional thing, it's a stupid people thing.

OMG, I'm with you on the fixin thing. When we first moved to TX and heard it, MH made it his #1 mission to use it and "rekin" as much as possible. Preferably in the same sentence.:/

AustinMimi

ali-1411:

Confession:  I always say, "I've got" and I cringe every time I do.  

I say it too. But I blame all the Brits in my life for that one. It's catchy.

SaraLouiseBride08

mlf625:

"I seen" is tied with "fixin to" on my top 10 list of things people say that make me want to knock their teeth out.  I don't think it's a regional thing, it's a stupid people thing.

Noooooo!

"I Seen" is something I use frequently to mock people. It cracks me up! However, if I heard someone use it seriously, I'd roll my eyes.

But "fixin' to" is a whole other ball game! I'm fixin to git yur chap down to Tejas and learn you some English!

But really ... "I Seen" seems ignorant to me, just like "Ain't," but "fixin' to" and "y'all" seem more regional. I probably wouldn't think twice about someone saying "fixin' to."

MrsAJL

Ick! I don't like when people speak improperly. I'm a snob. I admit it. 

This phrase along with inappropriately using "went" instead of "gone" (example: "I should have went to the store."  rather than "I should have gone to the store.") and saying "irregardless" drive me flipping batty.

 

 

MrsAJL

bluestreet:

Just to be a pain in "all y'all's necks"...my academic career is built on these types of constructions. I teach courses on and have published articles about the logic and rules of non-standard dialects of English. When I hear "I seen" or "might could", my heart gets all warm and fuzzy.

Cheers!

Ha! Spoken like a true linguistics specialist!