studentsnark (studentsnark) wrote in linguaphiles,
studentsnark
studentsnark
linguaphiles

Expressing Possession

How do you say that something belongs to you or that you own something? I've been very curious about this, because I've noticed that I say "I've got that book" or "I haven't got any of that," while most people I know say would be equally likely to say "I have a cat" or "I've got a cat." But they would always say "I don't have that." 

It's the second one, the one expressing negativity, that interests me the most. For me, both the positive and the negative ultimately use the same words, but the negative in most of the people I know changes the words completely. I'm just curious as to how people usually say it and where they are from and if that affects it.

Note: I'm from a lot of places around America, so I'm not sure exactly where my accent falls!
Tags: accents, american english, english, english dialects, syntax
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  • 23 comments

  • Interpretation of the Legend

    (inscriptions on the Kushan Kingdom coins / надписи на монетах Кушанского царства)

  • Spanish query

    I would be most grateful if anyone could help me out with a Spanish idiom, an expression appearing in a discussion of torture from the late 18th…

  • A very strange Etruscan inscription

    Chiusi is a small town in Italy (province of Siena, Tuscany). And once it was one of the most powerful centers of the Etruscan League of 12 cities.…