Date:  Fri, 7 Oct 1994 20:56:53 -0400

From:  "Bethany Dumas, UTK" <DUMASB[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UTKVX.BITNET>

Subject: Re: Name that syntagm



Mark Frank has asked me for my "evidence" that "could care less" is the

natural (and highly predictable) result of the phonological reduction of

"could not care less." Briefly, when "could not care less" is

contracted (as statements containing negatives usually are in informal

speech), it ends up with a /dntk/ internal sequence. I suspet that

consonant cluster reduction gets rid of the /t/ and reduces the /n/ to

nasalization of the preceding vowel.



There's another factor, I think. Americans in general are uptight about

double negatives, and I think that "less" is perceived as a kind of

negative, which makes it appropriate to get rid of the "not" or "n't."



Finally, I simply do not hear sarcasm or irony in the voices of those who

say "could care less."



Tim Frazier wrote to say that he is a believer,also. What is your analysis,

Tim?



Bethany Dumas = dumasb[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]utkvx.utk.edu