Immigrant calques in AmEng

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "P&G" <G&P@...> wrote:

> >>"I work days" meaning "I work during the day".
> > > isn't that use American English?
> > It falls nicely into place with German "Ich arbeite nachts",
> > Dutch "Ik werk 's nachts"
> > I always felt it might be an immigrant calque.
>
> There are a number of Americanisms which appear to go back to

German, but in

> fact the source may have been Yiddish.
>

I know, but some of those Americanisms are Midwestern
I've heard "I want out" in Missouri, it seemed to me a calque on
German "Ich will raus", with verb of motion dropped between modal
verb and directional adverb. It hasn't spread beyond the verb 'want'
in American English, afaIk.

Also 'Was gibt's (neues)' -> 'What gives'.


Torsten