Can get. An example of the negative positive in Boston English: "Let's go see if we can't get yoah cah fixed."
Kathie Young
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Ad:Can get. An example of the negative positive in Boston English: "Let's go see if we can't get yoah cah fixed."
Kathie Young
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Comments
re: Can't get
By PT
Wed, 08/04/2004 - 12:06pm
"Can't get" is very widely used in the southern US as well. In fact, I've heard it more here than in Boston!
re: Can't get
By Rachel
Wed, 07/05/2006 - 2:03am
I never realized this didn't make any sense.
re: Can't get
By Perry
Sun, 07/16/2006 - 2:16am
Whenever I say this to people at my store (Mahket basket aka DaMoolas) customers get mad at me if there not from around here. Im from Nashua thou.
re: Can't get
By Baron
Thu, 07/27/2006 - 5:57pm
Second on that Southren thing. We git it all the time in T-Town (That's Tallahassee Florida ya'lls guys.)
re: Can't get
By Zoe
Sat, 12/01/2007 - 8:37pm
haha never noticed this was bad english either
re: Can't get
By Nikki
Fri, 12/28/2007 - 7:37pm
Thats just like "I dont like purse!""so don't I"meaning: I dont either.
Can't get
By John Hay
Sat, 01/10/2015 - 10:14pm
Pahdin me, but it should be spelled "cahn't get".
No, it should not
By perruptor
Sun, 01/11/2015 - 6:35am
Just as Cantonese is written identically to Mandarin, Bostonese is written the same as Standard American English. It's only the pronunciation (and some usage) that distinguishes it. I find that most attempts to render New England accents in print are off the mark and grate on the
earseyes.Not the positive negative as used in the sample
By A
Wed, 07/08/2020 - 1:46pm
It's perfectly valid to test a negative. "Let's see if we're unable to get your car fixed" would be fine. The structure is uncommon, but equivalent to e.g. "so don't I"
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