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Can't get

Can get. An example of the negative positive in Boston English: "Let's go see if we can't get yoah cah fixed."
Kathie Young

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Comments

By PT on Wed, 08/04/2004 - 12:06pm.

"Can't get" is very widely used in the southern US as well. In fact, I've heard it more here than in Boston!

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By Rachel on Wed, 07/05/2006 - 2:03am.

I never realized this didn't make any sense.

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By Perry on Sun, 07/16/2006 - 2:16am.

Whenever I say this to people at my store (Mahket basket aka DaMoolas) customers get mad at me if there not from around here. Im from Nashua thou.

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By Baron on Thu, 07/27/2006 - 5:57pm.

Second on that Southren thing. We git it all the time in T-Town (That's Tallahassee Florida ya'lls guys.)

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By Zoe on Sat, 12/01/2007 - 8:37pm.

haha never noticed this was bad english either

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By Nikki on Fri, 12/28/2007 - 7:37pm.

Thats just like "I dont like purse!""so don't I"meaning: I dont either.

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By John Hay on Sat, 01/10/2015 - 10:14pm.

Pahdin me, but it should be spelled "cahn't get".

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By perruptor on Sun, 01/11/2015 - 6:35am.

Just as Cantonese is written identically to Mandarin, Bostonese is written the same as Standard American English. It's only the pronunciation (and some usage) that distinguishes it. I find that most attempts to render New England accents in print are off the mark and grate on the ears eyes.

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By A on Wed, 07/08/2020 - 1:46pm.

It's perfectly valid to test a negative. "Let's see if we're unable to get your car fixed" would be fine. The structure is uncommon, but equivalent to e.g. "so don't I"

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