More "do you say this?"

[pne]

Again from Language Log, I came across an article comparing "let's not", "don't let's" and "let's don't", and quoting The Columbia Guide to Standard American English as saying that all three are standard.

I've only come across the first of those, and would have thought the second and third are substandard, though again, this may merely be an Americanism.

[Poll #753767]

Comments

[nyssa.livejournal.com]

I've never heard the other two, so maybe they're Northernisms or something. I know they speak differently from us Southerners up there. :P

[elgrande.livejournal.com]

I remember seeing both "let's not" and "don't let's" in a grammar book. "Let's don't" is new to me.

[pne.livejournal.com]

Funnily enough, the author of the article says that it's his impression that let's don't is more common in the South!

[tungol.livejournal.com]

I recognize "don't let's", I think from reading British children's books. I don't specifically recognize "let's don't", but I wouldn't go so far as to assert that I haven't heard it before.

[nyssa.livejournal.com]

It's a phrase we use in my family a lot, and we've always said "let's not"; I've never heard it any other way from anyone. :P

[denial-land.livejournal.com]

HA! I only recently noticed some constructions like this in the Chronicles of Narnia! Something like "Oh, do let's" which, for a second confused me, but when I "resolved" the contraction, it made sense ("oh, do let us!")

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

I say "do let's!" all the time. I never read Narnia so I guess it's yet another thing I picked up from Masterpiece Theatre.

[leora.livejournal.com]

I don't find, "do let's" strange, a bit uncommon, but fine. But I do find "don't let's" to be very weird. I have no good reason for this.

[ubykhlives.livejournal.com]

Again from Language Log, I came across an article comparing "let's not", "don't let's" and "let's don't", and quoting The Columbia Guide to Standard American English as saying that all three are standard.

I've only come across the first of those, and would have thought the second and third are substandard, though again, this may merely be an Americanism.

When quite a bit younger, I came across don't let's quite frequently in Enid Blyton's children's books. From that, I assume that don't let's (and possibly let's don't) may be pretty much restricted to British English, although I do use don't let's occasionally.