Show description

He nevah walk around all mad or anyting, he jes push up his glasses and look at da ceiling above our head and den, like Russo say, he went lift wit his mind. He set his feet den his hands and he make sure every finger stay in da right place. Den he move so fast, no can tell he starting to lift and da weight no like move den it start to move slow but den he so fast he bend his knees and move under da weight as da ting stay going up and his face stay strain and his back knee stay shaking and slowly, slowly he standing up; two feet straight, da bar pressing against his chest, da bar bending.

5 The abruptness and frequency of the alternations between different lexicons in (3)–(7) should assure the reader that we do not have to do with any kind of code-switching phenomenon here. Code-switching implies some degree of familiarity with at least two codes, but in these examples the speakers are 36 DEREK BICKERTON familiar with at most one, their own native language, and the alternations are not aimed at achieving social or stylistic effects, but result from incompetence in its most literal (and linguistic) sense.

I was still watching his muscle and getting tired of lifting da bar. I forgot how many I did awready. ” I went look around fo Russo. He was Cowboy Junior? I guess so, if my fahdah was Cowboy. I was looking in da mirror fo check if I had muscles yet. Wasn’t like Tommy Kono’s, of course, but I tink my arms was bigger. “Huh? No, I mean yes. Almost pau? ” “Two more. How’s about two more? ’ Give your muscles oxygen. Give your brain oxygen. Den you can go fo two more. Watch your form, no arch your back.