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Can't get

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

By PT on 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!

By Rachel on Wed, 07/05/2006 - 2:03am.

I never realized this didn't make any sense.

By Perry on 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.

By Baron on 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.)

By Zoe on Sat, 12/01/2007 - 8:37pm.

haha never noticed this was bad english either

By Nikki on Fri, 12/28/2007 - 7:37pm.

Thats just like "I dont like purse!""so don't I"meaning: I dont either.

By John Hay on Sat, 01/10/2015 - 10:14pm.

Pahdin me, but it should be spelled "cahn't get".

By perruptor on 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 ears eyes.

By A on 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"