I'm not thinking of the clitic -'s after nouns, but a true preserved relic of the Old English genitive case.
I would like to suggest that the expression Mondays (of a Monday), Tuesdays (of a Tuesday), afternoons (of an afternoon), is perhaps a true genitive case relic - although it's felt to be plural nowadays. Also, the Dutch cognate of the expression ('s Maandags, 's middags etc.) does infect decline for genitive case.
However, I don't know for sure the origin of the expression. Does anyone out there have any ideas?
[Example sentence: "I usually work afternoons" = to "I usually work of an afternoon" which seems to suggest that "afternoons" is actually declining for genitive case rather than inflecting for plural.]
2006-07-07
12:40:25
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3 answers
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asked by
duprie37
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Words & Wordplay