I don't think I ever heard it from a European person, I think this one is US owned! I thought it was a modification of "a whole other level", I didn't know it was a tmesis. Thank you for teaching us!
This is so interesting! I always thought people were talking about "a whole OTHER" when speaking whole 'nother. I think I just ignored that "n" in the sentence. But "another" makes so much more sense!
It kind of feels like that "n" is a helpful transition to get "whole" to "other" (the "l" at the end of "l" and an "n" sound are not too far off), so I think that "n" being sort of a ghost letter (not a real term I think lol) as you described would be a reasonable explanation!
I always assumed that writing it with an apostrophe means that the a was removed from "another". It's so interesting thinking of the origins of words and how they change over time!
Hi Rebecca (and Lou and Melanie and oothers too).....
The good folk of Yorkshire and Lancashire were using this and ower sich words long before settlin' in America or New Zealand. I'm a Yorkie who settled in Old Zeeland (Nederlands). Nower meanins fer Nother be "No Other, None Other".
I have a passion for finding connections betwixt Ancient European tongues. Tother thing I do is write and illustrate Legends in multiple timelines over the last 13,000 years, right upter now........
An example......... some characters are based on real people from the small seaside town of Withernsea, who call it just "With".
This particular timeline take place in an alternative world, and are entitled "Totherwith Tales".
I go live on Maurice's Substack 1st June, Av a shufti, gander, skeg, ie:- Look.....
I wonder how many people can relate to that experience! & I’m curious to know if there were any specific phrases/wordings/pronunciations that they tried to shut down as soon as they heard you say it!
I distinctly remember being corrected for saying forehead like "four-head". It rhymes with "horrid". I was also corrected for "lab-ra-tory" instead of "lab-orra-tree".
I don't think I ever heard it from a European person, I think this one is US owned! I thought it was a modification of "a whole other level", I didn't know it was a tmesis. Thank you for teaching us!
It definitely feels like a pretty American phrase to me, glad you enjoyed it!!
This is so interesting! I always thought people were talking about "a whole OTHER" when speaking whole 'nother. I think I just ignored that "n" in the sentence. But "another" makes so much more sense!
It kind of feels like that "n" is a helpful transition to get "whole" to "other" (the "l" at the end of "l" and an "n" sound are not too far off), so I think that "n" being sort of a ghost letter (not a real term I think lol) as you described would be a reasonable explanation!
I always assumed that writing it with an apostrophe means that the a was removed from "another". It's so interesting thinking of the origins of words and how they change over time!
Yeah, the apostrophe definitely makes it seem like the a- and -nother should be connected!!
This is amazing. Why? Because I have wanted to write this in a blog post for years and could never figure out how to do it 😂
Feel free to use it with abandon now!! Which spelling do you gravitate towards?
I think with the apostrophe, right?
As an English teacher, I should know that language is fluid, but old habits die hard.
I’m also an apostrophe fan! But won’t be angry if I see other variations :)
This phrase was the key ingredient in a comedy bit on MADtv back in the day!
https://youtu.be/LLgmR-HCCW0
You’re taking newsletter writing to the HNL, this was fascinating to read! Thank you!
Haha I wish I had known about this sketch before writing this article!! Thanks for sharing this 😂
Hi Rebecca (and Lou and Melanie and oothers too).....
The good folk of Yorkshire and Lancashire were using this and ower sich words long before settlin' in America or New Zealand. I'm a Yorkie who settled in Old Zeeland (Nederlands). Nower meanins fer Nother be "No Other, None Other".
I have a passion for finding connections betwixt Ancient European tongues. Tother thing I do is write and illustrate Legends in multiple timelines over the last 13,000 years, right upter now........
An example......... some characters are based on real people from the small seaside town of Withernsea, who call it just "With".
This particular timeline take place in an alternative world, and are entitled "Totherwith Tales".
I go live on Maurice's Substack 1st June, Av a shufti, gander, skeg, ie:- Look.....
Cheers fer noo, Maurice
This expression is common in New Zealand English. I've used it many times but never thought about how to write it down.
Oo! That’s so interesting! Most of the sources I read said that it was an American English thing. Apparently not!
I doubt I picked it up from any American source. My parents were very strict about correcting any Americanisms in my speech and pronunciation.
I wonder how many people can relate to that experience! & I’m curious to know if there were any specific phrases/wordings/pronunciations that they tried to shut down as soon as they heard you say it!
I distinctly remember being corrected for saying forehead like "four-head". It rhymes with "horrid". I was also corrected for "lab-ra-tory" instead of "lab-orra-tree".