Date:  Sun, 23 Oct 1994 23:17:06 EDT

From:  Larry Horn <LHORN[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]YALEVM.CIS.YALE.EDU>

Subject: Re: "Look, Boris. Eez moose and elk!"



On positive (non-polarity) 'anymore'...



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Someone with an OED will probably inform us that "anymore" has been used in

this form by Chaucer, Shakespeare, Tenneson, Auden, and Nixon, first

appearing in 1305. Say it ain't so.

_______________

No, Jack, it ain't--as far as I can tell, which isn't very, since the OED

(at least in my first edition version) doesn't see fit to consider 'anymore' a

single lexeme, since it's evidently spelled as two words (even in its time ad-

verbial use). But D. H. Lawrence does have Birkin admit "Suffering bores me

any more". It's even cited in the Webster 3 entry for 'anymore', along with a

citation from Betty Grable. That must have been a fun session for the lexi-

cographer folks.



--Larry