3 ms·

Off topic but why is there a blatant conjugation mistake in the title of the article? Is this common? Is it some other cultural reference I'm not aware of? Is i

Off topic but why is there a blatant conjugation mistake in the title of the article? Is this common? Is it some other cultural reference I'm not aware of? Is it AAVE? (I'm not a native English speaker).

sterlind 3y ago
Probably more of a general Southern dialect thing than AAVE, but definitely intentional either way. Maybe a reference to Huckleberry Finn but I'm not well-read enough to know.
nfriedly 3y ago
I it sounds more pleasant (IMO) to say "this boat don't float" than "this boat doesn't float". I could easily see someone in the US saying "this boat don't float", and believing they were being witty, or even just thinking it was the right way to say it.
gregshap 3y ago
It is intended as a cultural and literary reference. As an american english speaker I would say it's a play on the phrase "That dog don't hunt" meaning something will not work. I would consider this to be a 'country' saying not AAVE but I'm not a linguist. More broadly the title mirrors a southern american dialect structure of "[This|that] X don't Y". The article calls it a "Huck Finn style adventure" Huck Finn being the protagonist of famous Mark Twain novels that are famously written with dialogue in AAVE and other southern American dialect.
- JorgeGT 3y ago
  Maybe also a "Twain-version" of the title of Farley Mowat's novel The Boat Who Wouldn't Float?
horsawlarway 3y ago
It's a southern US dialect. Yes, it's common in this region for spoken language, but it's uncommon to have it be published (it's almost always an attempt to set the piece as a view into lower class, southern lifestyles). Similar for words like "ain't" and "y'all".
sanderjd 3y ago
I think in this specific case, it was written this way both to allude to the slanginess of Huck Finn, and because it sounds good due to "boat don't float" rhyming. To me, it has a similar pleasant-sounding impact as alliteration.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
stephenhuey 3y ago
As a native Texan with a love of language and linguistics, I'm really enjoying all the comments in response to your question. Just so you know, there are lots of search results for that phrase outside of that article, including one as far away as Australia: 2007 financial outlook - "The Krispy Creme (KKD) Donut Boat Don't Float" https://247wallst.com/investing/2007/06/04/the_krispy_crem/ https://247wallst.com/investing/2007/06/04/the_krispy_crem/ Picture of a boat that actually doesn't float: https://www.deviantart.com/theuniphotoghrpher/art/This-Boat-Don-t-Float-266865937 https://www.deviantart.com/theuniphotoghrpher/art/This-Boat-... Houseboat for rent: https://www.travelocity.com/Hartwell-Hotels-This-Boat-Dont-Float-Completely-Refinished-And-Updated-50-Foot-Houseboat.h64657704.Hotel-Information https://www.travelocity.com/Hartwell-Hotels-This-Boat-Dont-F... Church sermon title: https://journeyorl.podbean.com/e/when-your-boat-dont-float/ https://journeyorl.podbean.com/e/when-your-boat-dont-float/ Poem title: https://inprinthouston.org/event/first-fridays-presents-rebecca-danelly/ https://inprinthouston.org/event/first-fridays-presents-rebe... 2002 article about a Ford/Mercury car: https://www.deseret.com/2002/6/11/19659250/marauder-muscle-car-full-of-spirit https://www.deseret.com/2002/6/11/19659250/marauder-muscle-c... Fishing forum: https://www.fishexplorer.com/co/fxrforum.asp?action=det&pid=162588 https://www.fishexplorer.com/co/fxrforum.asp?action=det&pid=... Boating forum: https://forums.sailboatowners.com/threads/new-to-the-forum.1249932131/ https://forums.sailboatowners.com/threads/new-to-the-forum.1... Australian website asking "What happens if your boat don’t float?" https://www.aussiemob.com/beer-can-regatta/ https://www.aussiemob.com/beer-can-regatta/

sterlind 3y ago

Probably more of a general Southern dialect thing than AAVE, but definitely intentional either way. Maybe a reference to Huckleberry Finn but I'm not well-read enough to know.

nfriedly 3y ago

I it sounds more pleasant (IMO) to say "this boat don't float" than "this boat doesn't float". I could easily see someone in the US saying "this boat don't float", and believing they were being witty, or even just thinking it was the right way to say it.

gregshap 3y ago

It is intended as a cultural and literary reference. As an american english speaker I would say it's a play on the phrase "That dog don't hunt" meaning something will not work. I would consider this to be a 'country' saying not AAVE but I'm not a linguist. More broadly the title mirrors a southern american dialect structure of "[This|that] X don't Y". The article calls it a "Huck Finn style adventure" Huck Finn being the protagonist of famous Mark Twain novels that are famously written with dialogue in AAVE and other southern American dialect.

JorgeGT 3y ago
Maybe also a "Twain-version" of the title of Farley Mowat's novel The Boat Who Wouldn't Float?

horsawlarway 3y ago

It's a southern US dialect. Yes, it's common in this region for spoken language, but it's uncommon to have it be published (it's almost always an attempt to set the piece as a view into lower class, southern lifestyles). Similar for words like "ain't" and "y'all".

sanderjd 3y ago

I think in this specific case, it was written this way both to allude to the slanginess of Huck Finn, and because it sounds good due to "boat don't float" rhyming. To me, it has a similar pleasant-sounding impact as alliteration.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

stephenhuey 3y ago

As a native Texan with a love of language and linguistics, I'm really enjoying all the comments in response to your question. Just so you know, there are lots of search results for that phrase outside of that article, including one as far away as Australia: 2007 financial outlook - "The Krispy Creme (KKD) Donut Boat Don't Float" https://247wallst.com/investing/2007/06/04/the_krispy_crem/ https://247wallst.com/investing/2007/06/04/the_krispy_crem/ Picture of a boat that actually doesn't float: https://www.deviantart.com/theuniphotoghrpher/art/This-Boat-Don-t-Float-266865937 https://www.deviantart.com/theuniphotoghrpher/art/This-Boat-... Houseboat for rent: https://www.travelocity.com/Hartwell-Hotels-This-Boat-Dont-Float-Completely-Refinished-And-Updated-50-Foot-Houseboat.h64657704.Hotel-Information https://www.travelocity.com/Hartwell-Hotels-This-Boat-Dont-F... Church sermon title: https://journeyorl.podbean.com/e/when-your-boat-dont-float/ https://journeyorl.podbean.com/e/when-your-boat-dont-float/ Poem title: https://inprinthouston.org/event/first-fridays-presents-rebecca-danelly/ https://inprinthouston.org/event/first-fridays-presents-rebe... 2002 article about a Ford/Mercury car: https://www.deseret.com/2002/6/11/19659250/marauder-muscle-car-full-of-spirit https://www.deseret.com/2002/6/11/19659250/marauder-muscle-c... Fishing forum: https://www.fishexplorer.com/co/fxrforum.asp?action=det&pid=162588 https://www.fishexplorer.com/co/fxrforum.asp?action=det&pid=... Boating forum: https://forums.sailboatowners.com/threads/new-to-the-forum.1249932131/ https://forums.sailboatowners.com/threads/new-to-the-forum.1... Australian website asking "What happens if your boat don’t float?" https://www.aussiemob.com/beer-can-regatta/ https://www.aussiemob.com/beer-can-regatta/