Monday, February 2, 2009

English: This here vs. That there.

Its been awhile since I spewed forth any thoughts on English, so its a good time to catch up. This concerns the proper usage of "This Here" and "That There". People, especially those who don't use these terms often, have been known to get them confused.

"This here" is loosely translated as "This", while "That there" is loosely translated as "that".

When someone says "This here", they should be referring to an object close by, maybe even something they're holding in their hand.

When someone talks about "That there", they should be referring to an object at a somewhat greater distance away, anywhere from a few feet away to something way over yonder. Or maybe something that's not even present.

Also, "This here" is frequently pronounced "This 'ere", and "That there" is frequently pronounced "That air", so don't get confused. No one's talking about ears or atmosphere.

Usage examples:

1. I'm fixinta wallup you with this 'ere stick!
2. That air dog's dummer 'an river mud.

You really will only get the hang of the correct usage thru practice, so try it out!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

"This here" is used for emphasis. "which 'un?"
"This here 'un".

Great blog! (as usual)

A Valdese Blogger said...

Yep, I reckon.

Ms. O. D. said...

Thank you for this 'ere lesson!

Can one be heard saying this without the here and that without the there? ex. I'm fixinta wallup you with this stick?

A Valdese Blogger said...

Ms. O.D.: Yes, you could say this without the here & that without the there, & it would mean pretty much the same thing. But in the example you cited, you'd lose a bit of flavor, a lot of emphasis (as anonymous pointed out), and depending on the situation, people might say you were engaged in "high falutin' talk" & could possibly think you were "puttin' on airs". So it's best to stick with the accepted gramatic forms of "this here" & "that there". Like lots of stuff, it depends on the context. And I'm not really sure gramatic is a word.

Ms. O. D. said...

I definitely feel the emphasis when I say it with here and there...

oooh! but that there is really interesting to me, interesting that leaving it out and people will say it's considered falutin' talk. I'll definitely use "this here" and "that there" from now on :)

A Valdese Blogger said...

Glad to be of service!

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