Hanged/hung
Nov. 25th, 2005 02:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
conuly
So, like I said, we visited today. I spent a lot of time with Deniz.
At one point, she takes out one of her little stuffed animals, a keychain stuffed animal, and hangs it up, and then promptly turns to me and announces that "Now I've hanged her!"
*winces*
Normally, an irregular verb like this, I'd've ignored it. Kid won't be talking like that forever, after all. But this is really a little morbid, saying you've hanged your doll.
So I correct her - not hanged, hung, always hung.
Except that's not really true. So I start trying to explain...
"Y'see, sweetie, if you hang your doll, and then she dies, you can say you've hanged her. But if you hang your doll, and she's still alive, she doesn't die, then you say you hung her. You understand?"
Even as I said it, I knew this was one of the sillier things I've done, but I couldn't stop myself. I know I was talking over her head, I know it's hardly a distinction she'll have a chance to use often in her life, I know it's a distinction many people simply don't make, but I just had to keep talking!
I'm a failure as a budding descriptivist. And a baby-sitter.
At one point, she takes out one of her little stuffed animals, a keychain stuffed animal, and hangs it up, and then promptly turns to me and announces that "Now I've hanged her!"
*winces*
Normally, an irregular verb like this, I'd've ignored it. Kid won't be talking like that forever, after all. But this is really a little morbid, saying you've hanged your doll.
So I correct her - not hanged, hung, always hung.
Except that's not really true. So I start trying to explain...
"Y'see, sweetie, if you hang your doll, and then she dies, you can say you've hanged her. But if you hang your doll, and she's still alive, she doesn't die, then you say you hung her. You understand?"
Even as I said it, I knew this was one of the sillier things I've done, but I couldn't stop myself. I know I was talking over her head, I know it's hardly a distinction she'll have a chance to use often in her life, I know it's a distinction many people simply don't make, but I just had to keep talking!
I'm a failure as a budding descriptivist. And a baby-sitter.
