I'm using my AskMe question allowance to track down a Language Log post! what.
October 6, 2008 10:28 AM   Subscribe

I am having a devil of a time locating a Language Log post that is almost impossible to search for. It's on the declarative "what," and all the keywords I thought I was remembering aren't turning up the right result.

The post was on, as I said, the declarative use of "what" as a sort of pause, or cease-fire, in conversation. Whichever Language Log writer posted the entry mentioned a program on NPR he was listening to, which I believe referenced the mortgage crisis, and short selling vs. naked short selling, at which point, he stated that his only response was:

what


It's driving me nuts that I can't locate this post, so I hope one of you dutiful mefites out there has bookmarked this particular post for your own nefarious purposes.

Thanks!
posted by dorothy humbird to Writing & Language (3 answers total)
 
Best answer: Dunno about Language Log, but here's Languagehat on the subject.
posted by jack_mo at 10:34 AM on October 6, 2008


Best answer: Sorry, that should be MetaFilter's Own™ languagehat!
posted by jack_mo at 10:37 AM on October 6, 2008


Response by poster: jack_mo, you've located the problem and the solution all at once. I am fool.
Thank you!
posted by dorothy humbird at 10:39 AM on October 6, 2008


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