२ नोव्हेंबर, २०१२

"There's never been a day in the last four years I've been proud to be his vice president."

The Weekly Standard (linked by Drudge) thinks it has a hilarious Biden gaffe, but they've misheard/mistranscribed it. You have to have an ear for the "working class"-style mushing of syllables, but he's saying "There's never been a day in the last four years I haven't been proud to be his vice president." The boldface is spoken: I 'n' been.

IN THE COMMENTS: rhhardin says:
I've listened to the audio at 0.35 speed and it's a precise "I've."...
I disagree.
It's an east-coast kind of "n" ... sort of almost "i uh" like the "no" in "uh uh."
rhhardin says:
"n" is voiced and there's no voicing in Biden's 've part.
I note that I grew up in Delaware and I feel I understand the implied "n." And rh gives us his slowed down audio with repetition. I've listened, and I hear a sound after the "I" that I'm sure is the negative. There's this southern Jersey/northern Delaware/Philadelphia dropping of a sound that I can her. There's a muddled verb after the "I" that I just know. Rh says "Call in Language Log," and I will send an email. I think they will believe me. And not just for political reasons.

UPDATE: Language Log responds!

१३९ टिप्पण्या:

Original Mike म्हणाले...

Yeah, and Neil Armstrong actually said, "That's one small step for a man, ..."

Really.

gadfly म्हणाले...

"I 'n' been" makes no sense in any short-cut speak that that I have ever heard or heard of.

As for the 'n' part of the vocal, I did not hear it in the recording.

Known Unknown म्हणाले...

That Biden is sooo sneaky with his stupid vernacular that no one else uses!

Eric म्हणाले...

I heard it the way you did Althouse.

SteveR म्हणाले...

Come esta frijole, Joe. How you been?

Franklin म्हणाले...

1 heartbeat away.

Revenant म्हणाले...

"The question is... is 'are children learning'"

"The question is, 'is our children learning'"

The difference between a hilariously stupid remark and unclear speech often depends on the predispositions of the audience.

Carol म्हणाले...

I figured he was like a lot of Internet commenters who carefully labor over their text but omit the crucial word "not" when submitting it.

It does make a difference.

Val or Bob म्हणाले...

Still a great lead, true or not. Romney would have been asked to explain for a week if it was his or Ryan's comment.

n म्हणाले...

I'm with Althouse on this one. There is a mush up in there.

rhhardin म्हणाले...

I've listened to the audio at 0.35 speed and it's a precise "I've."

Is there an audio that suggests otherwise?

No hint of n's.

Known Unknown म्हणाले...

Reminds me a bit of this.

Eric the Fruit Bat म्हणाले...

Stupid gotcha is stupid.

coketown म्हणाले...

Either way it's a stupid remark.

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

"No hint of n's."

It's an east-coast kind of "n" ... sort of almost "i uh" like the "no" in "uh uh."

tim maguire म्हणाले...

Whether he misspoke or not, I'm tired of the silliness. Like Clarence Thomas almost being denied a seat on the court because he once said there was a pubic hair on his coke.

Who could survive this level of mean-spirited scrutiny? Anyone?

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

I hear it clearly every time I play it. Clear mush.

Comanche Voter म्हणाले...

Ol Slow Joe long ago used up all the slack I was ever going to give him Ann. Obviously your mileage varies.

Shouting Thomas म्हणाले...

You're suggesting it's like Stooge Moe's "n-yuk n-yuk n-yuk?"

Hope to God I've quoted Moe correctly!

Hagar म्हणाले...

That's the Rhondda Valley dialect?

chickelit म्हणाले...

It sounds like "eye-ven-ben" to my ear.

Known Unknown म्हणाले...

Everyone in Scranton talks this way.

rhhardin म्हणाले...

"n" is voiced and there's no voicing in Biden's 've part.

madAsHell म्हणाले...

Did NBC edit the tape?

Curious George म्हणाले...

"Ann Althouse said...
I hear it clearly every time I play it. Clear mush."

I believe you think you hear it.

chickelit म्हणाले...

In any case, Biden proved he was malicious in his debate with Ryan. Palin was a far better VP choice in 2008. I look forward to his retirement next February. Having made so many mistakes, perhaps he can coach his son in politics.

coketown म्हणाले...

We'll need to go back to all of Biden's previous gaffes and apply this working-class-syllable-mushing filter. We may discover that he's actually the most brilliant human being alive. Perhaps the most brilliant to ever live. Perhaps.

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

"I believe you think you hear it."

No, I'm just used to the way people talk in that part of the country.

I grew up in Delaware.

edutcher म्हणाले...

Nobody's giving Joe the benefit of the doubt.

Except Ann, kindly soul that she is.

coketown म्हणाले...

Maybe we can get Brittany to translate.

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

I wasn't being kind. I was ready to laugh at him for another gaffe.

Wince म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
Wince म्हणाले...

Isn't the contraction of "I have not" spelled, "I'ven't"?

Biden = I'ven't the Terrible?

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

It's like the way people say "I ay" for "I ain't" which is a distortion of "I am not."

Robert म्हणाले...

I can clealy hear him saying the n-word under his breath.

madAsHell म्हणाले...

I've listened to the audio at 0.35 speed and it's a precise "I've."

Engineer much?? Code or circuits?



rhhardin म्हणाले...

Here's Biden at 0.35 speed repeating the phrase (.mp3, done with Total Recorder and sending output audio into input jack and recording it a few times)

Rob म्हणाले...

I saw the link on Drudge and without even clicking on it I assumed it was as Ann described. And I think Biden is beyond an idiot.

chickelit म्हणाले...

here's Biden at 0.35 speed repeating the phrase (.mp3, done with Total Recorder and sending output audio into input jack and recording it a few times)

My brain "n-terpolates" the missing "n".

And if it's missing? This proves?

Where's Penny. I need a drink.

Dante म्हणाले...

Here's Biden at 0.35 speed repeating the phrase (.mp3, done with Total Recorder and sending output audio into input jack and recording it a few times)

If that's Biden, Ann's right. But who cares about Biden? Every-time I think of him I see a ridiculous, smug, condescending grin at Ryan, now. And that was his doing.

rcommal म्हणाले...

LOL. I agree with Althouse 100% on this one. Sounds very familiar to me. I wonder if in the course of speech he threw out a "whutr" or other bit if Delawarese in there, too?? He sure as heck has the Delaware diphthong down.

lemondog म्हणाले...

Had to replay several times but, yeah, the mush is there.

More importantly, is he signaling the impending swan song?

:-)))

rcommal म्हणाले...

Sorry, but Ann is right.

You can do whatever you want, rhhardin, but what he said was classic and not unique to him.

alan markus म्हणाले...

So, it was a "clean" & "articulate" statement?

rhhardin म्हणाले...

Call in Language Log.

dreams म्हणाले...

I watched it just now on TV and I think The Weekly Standard had it right.

rcommal म्हणाले...

Alan: Well, no! Heh.

wyo sis म्हणाले...

Of course he's saying "There's never been a day in the last four years Iv'n'been proud to be his vice president."
I can hear it and I'm from Wyoming where people speak English with no accent what-so-ever.
I wish people would quit picking over the stupid stuff that dribbles out of Joe Biden's mouth.
This post has already given more thought to his drivel than he ever gave.

avwh म्हणाले...

OK, let's say the NOT is in the mush.

It sure sounds like a retrospective comment, like he knows it's just about over, not like someone invigorated for another 4 years instead of 4 days.

Fr Martin Fox म्हणाले...

I think our genial hostess is correct.

dreams म्हणाले...

I know what he meant but I know what I heard too.

rcommal म्हणाले...

I tease my son all the time: Just because you're moving out there and not just visiting over the summer, it doesn't mean you can't retain your nice clean, Midwestern vowels and articulation! Just like my dad used to nag us when we first moved out there from the Midwest as kids. (Except that I always did talk way too fast.)

Matt Sablan म्हणाले...

I hear the same thing Althouse hears. I'm also from Delaware; maybe Biden is talking in Delaware code!

machine म्हणाले...

"misheard"? Hahahahahaha...nice try

machine म्हणाले...

and Jeep is moving to China...

bagoh20 म्हणाले...

No way. I listened over and over. It's a gaffe...or is it? When you've lost Joe,... well you're probably doing something right.

Titus म्हणाले...

This is enormous.

Total Game Changer.

And Biden is awful and stupid.

thanks,

tits.

bagoh20 म्हणाले...

"Yea, but I always say what I mean." ~ J. Biden

Matt Sablan म्हणाले...

Jeep ad is "factually defensible" and "technically correct" if you bothered to read the fact check instead of just the headline and Pinocchio count, you'd know that.

James Pawlak म्हणाले...

Mr. Biden was never "working class" as his biography will demonstrate.
Mr. Biden is an ex-Catholic having excommunicated himself by active support of elective abortion.
He was a "draft dodger" during the Viet Nam war.
He is "one heart beat" away from being POTUS.

Seeing Red म्हणाले...

--and Jeep is moving to China...--

Fiat decided to move part of it to Italy over a year ago.

sakredkow म्हणाले...

No no no no no. The mainstream media really is unfair.

Amartel म्हणाले...

Vice presidentin' is hard!

Amartel म्हणाले...

Even Biden's voting for Romney.

You know who Hillary is voting for.

Clyde म्हणाले...

Occam's Razor. It's Joe Biden, for heaven's sake. A gaffe is the most likely explanation.

yashu म्हणाले...

I accept Althouse's interpretation as a plausible way to hear Biden's words.

But please, Althouse, someone, anyone, help me interpret this (via Ace):

Axelrod: “I’ve known him for 20 years. We’ve worked closely for 10 years. I’ve never seen him more exhilarated than he is right now. He believes in what he’s doing. He believes in what he’s fighting for,” the senior campaign strategist said.

“You can see in the speech that he’s delivering — that he, that this is coming from his loins,” Axelrod declared, adding, “I just wanted to say loins. I wanted to see if I could get loins in the story.”


???!!!

Bodacious म्हणाले...

Sorry, I can't hear this 'n' of which you speak.

Still, it's not a big f'n deal, he just misspoke.

chickelit म्हणाले...

that he, that this is coming from his loins,

[shudder]

yashu म्हणाले...

I don't know, I'm terribly tempted to make a terrible tasteless joke right now.

He's been jacking off and coming all over you, America.

Sorry for that image. I denounce myself. But how else are we to interpret Axelrod's words???

James म्हणाले...

I accept Althouse's interpretation as a plausible way to hear Biden's words.

But please, Althouse, someone, anyone, help me interpret this (via Ace):

Axelrod: “I’ve known him for 20 years. We’ve worked closely for 10 years. I’ve never seen him more exhilarated than he is right now. He believes in what he’s doing. He believes in what he’s fighting for,” the senior campaign strategist said.

“You can see in the speech that he’s delivering — that he, that this is coming from his loins,” Axelrod declared, adding, “I just wanted to say loins. I wanted to see if I could get loins in the story.”

???!!!


It's part of their juvenile narrative now. Didn't Biden promise "the whole load" two days ago?

Crunchy Frog म्हणाले...

Is that what made Chrissy's leg tingle? His loins?

chickelit म्हणाले...

Sorry for that image. I denounce myself. But how else are we to interpret Axelrod's words???

It could be that it just took a load off his mind. Does he write for Biden too?

Methadras म्हणाले...

So pathetic that any of you would stoop to this level to parse whatever the vice president says. He's a fucking moron, grow up and stop listening to slowed down audio so you can go nya nya. Fucking children.

Strelnikov म्हणाले...


On the other hand, he might just be an idiot.

sakredkow म्हणाले...

No, he's a libtard.

sakredkow म्हणाले...

No, he's a retard

mccullough म्हणाले...

How much more qualified was Dick Cheney than Biden. Can you imagine Biden being President. Is there anyone who thinks Biden is anything but a slightly above average intelligence blowhard with very little grasp of any important issue.

harrogate म्हणाले...

A thread like a series of belches.

AllenS म्हणाले...

Why waste time, laughing at an idiot's speech impediments? Makes no sense to me.

rcommal म्हणाले...

I didn't have to parse, stooped or otherwise. I've understood verbalizations akin to that for, oh, nigh in 40 years now. It took me one listen to recognize it. ; )

edutcher म्हणाले...

On the subject of last stands, Michael Barone joins Karl Rove in calling it for the Romster.

PS Much as I respect Mr Barone, whom I think a very astute man, I think the Romster will take the 5 states he gives to Barry.

Ann Althouse said...

I wasn't being kind. I was ready to laugh at him for another gaffe.

Yes, Madame, you were merely donning your Cruella Neutrality masque, but I give you credit for integrity and a good heart.

ricpic म्हणाले...

Stand up, Chuck! God luvya.

chickelit म्हणाले...

harrogate said...
A thread like a series of belches.

Taste the gusto!

Known Unknown म्हणाले...

Funny, Slowed Joe Biden sounds like drunk Jeff Goldblum!

edutcher म्हणाले...

And on the subject of foot-in-mouth disease, we have this sterling sentiment from David Axelrod.

chickelit म्हणाले...

@harrogate: I'll have you know that my "shudder" at 5:53 was an allusion to "Leda and the Swan."

Where is Synova?

Known Unknown म्हणाले...

"It's like the way people say "I ay"

I could see if you were Cockney, but .. c'mon.

yashu म्हणाले...

So many other tasteless jokes come to mind. But I've got a bit of a reputation to maintain here (even under a pseudonym/ mask), so I'll resist. As an ostensible lady.

I'll have to make them elsewhere.

Left Bank of the Charles म्हणाले...

Joe said "I ain't been proud" with the "ain't" coming out without much n or t but certainly no v.

Known Unknown म्हणाले...

And on the subject of foot-in-mouth disease, we have this sterling sentiment from David Axelrod.


Are they girded or ungirded?

Known Unknown म्हणाले...

Which reminds me of the word "unbridled."

It's often used to describe a high level of enthusiasm.

But has anyone used the word "bridled" in reference to low enthusiasm?

chickelit म्हणाले...

But has anyone used the word "bridled" in reference to low enthusiasm?

In an equestrian context, yes.

chickelit म्हणाले...

@EDM: "Reckless" and "feckless" are two examples of what are called_____, words having fossilized antonyms.

Clyde म्हणाले...

The big question is whether Axelrod's gonna have to shave off his porn-stache if Obama loses Minnesota, Michigan or Pennsylvania?

Obama certainly has surrounded himself with creepy people. Axelrod, Carney, that creepy "hand" guy...

chickelit म्हणाले...

Yashu sighs: But I've got a bit of a reputation to maintain here (even under a pseudonym/ mask), so I'll resist. As an ostensible lady.

I thought the joke became you.

chickelit म्हणाले...

Clyde said...
The big question is whether Axelrod's gonna have to shave off his porn-stache if Obama loses Minnesota, Michigan or Pennsylvania?

His stoner high school photo was even better.


Known Unknown म्हणाले...

So pathetic that any of you would stoop to this level to parse whatever the vice president says. He's a fucking moron, grow up and stop listening to slowed down audio so you can go nya nya. Fucking children.


Maybe we're just having fun. Chill out.

Matt म्हणाले...

Why try to parse it? This is just a chance for light-hearted, snarky banter amongst the commenters here...

So, either he did in fact say the n-word he intended but slurred it or he didn't say it.

So, he's drunk or stupid.

OR!

He's both.

I'm just glad it wasn't a conservative because, regardless of whether the word was enunciated or not, the liberals definitely would have heard the n-word.

Interestingly, they hear Biden saying it now. Maybe that is the difference between liberals and conservatives: liberals always hear the n-words and conservatives don't.

yashu म्हणाले...

I thought the joke became you.

Heh. Thanks, I think?

No one can accuse me of lacking a smutty mind.

ricpic म्हणाले...

You bridle at a cutting or demeaning comment. Bridle and bristle are close in meaning.

machine म्हणाले...

All ya need is Dick "the genius" Morris calling it for Romney the Liar...


ricpic म्हणाले...

That Methadras comment is so out of character I figure he ate something that's backing up on him, or repeating on him, or speeding up on him.

chickelit म्हणाले...

ricpic said...
That Methadras comment is so out of character I figure he ate something that's backing up on him, or repeating on him, or speeding up on him.

Whichever end it came out, it was nasty.

AaronS म्हणाले...

Gaffes are stupid. Let's stop spending time on them.

V is also voiced.

Rusty म्हणाले...

machine said...
and Jeep is moving to China..

No. Italy.
You haven't been paying attention.

Rusty म्हणाले...

machine said...
and Jeep is moving to China..

No. Italy.
You haven't been paying attention.

kcom म्हणाले...

"I grew up in Delaware."

I have serious doubts about whether Delaware even exists. It sounds made up.

wyo sis म्हणाले...

That Methadres comment seems completely in character based on the comments of the last few days. Maybe he/she/its off his/her/it's meds.

Foobarista म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
अनामित म्हणाले...

You would spend political time on the gaffe because it polarizes the electorate and makes them think. Then when you own "foot in mouth" time comes around and the media tries to backdoor you again, then you can say "Well not as bad as Joe Biden". People will then intuitively cut you more slack. Instead of wholeheartedly agreeing with the media.

This is the OBama way.

Methadras म्हणाले...

EMD said...

Maybe we're just having fun. Chill out.


Maybe you are. Forget I said anything.

but I am a robot म्हणाले...

This is very silly the way this is being parsed out.
Yet, I'm fascinated by it.

I simply hear "I ehhhhhh been..."
But by the length of the "ehhhhh," I would conclude it's a very crude "haven't."

Methadras म्हणाले...

ricpic said...

That Methadras comment is so out of character I figure he ate something that's backing up on him, or repeating on him, or speeding up on him.

11/2/12 6:37 PM
Blogger chickelit said...

ricpic said...
That Methadras comment is so out of character I figure he ate something that's backing up on him, or repeating on him, or speeding up on him.

Whichever end it came out, it was nasty.


I pull the stick outta my ass. Now I can flow free. There, you happy? Oh, and I had a carne asada burrito today from my favorite taco shop. Maybe that did it.

but I am a robot म्हणाले...

Rusty said...

"No. Italy.
You haven't been paying attention."

"No. Italy.
You ehhhhh been paying attention."

FIFY.

Kchiker म्हणाले...

I hear the N pretty clearly but much less so when it is slowed down...for some reason. I think cadence is important to this particular accent.

but I am a robot म्हणाले...

You know, this could create a precedent for some dubiously ambiguous representations.

"I ehhhhh been withholding important facts concerning the events that transpired in Benghazi."

The rule of Lemnity म्हणाले...

I hear it the way Althouse hears it.

There is a peculiar way people in south Jersey talk.

I hear it all the time.

अनामित म्हणाले...


"The question is, 'is our children learning'"


I think you mean:
The question am "is our children learning"

The rule of Lemnity म्हणाले...

Did rh "spread out" the Integrity Kinetic Energy of a Biden supposed gaffe?

अनामित म्हणाले...


You know who Hillary is voting for.


Herself, as a write-in?

अनामित म्हणाले...

I knew Sunday was the turning point as Sunday was going on.

You see, I voted for Romney on Friday.

I knew Obama would lose. BUT, I was thinking of SANDY all day Saturday. You can check this blog.

Then on Sunday when I found out that Obama was heading back to DC from FL, I immediately came up with a few scenarios:

- Obama gets a great photo-op.
- He undos the damage he caused in Benghazi, just like that. Like a fart in the wind.
- Press goes wild. Political orgasm at NYT, NPR, and PBS.

I knew this was going to happen on Monday. On Tuesday, I got SCARED.

On Wednesday I could not even eat.

Now, on Thursday, every-thing I thought and said on this blog happened.

On top of that, Bloomberg endorsed Obama. Why? It is not easy to forget that Mike wants the Treasury job. BUT, now Climate Change problem-solver will be Obama. His 2nd term plan is that. He got a peace prize for his potential. He made it without even doing anything, just a photo-op.

Christie was an idiot. He should have asked Romney to visit. And, Romney is an idiot. Did he not realize on Friday that with Sandy coming, Obama would use it for his own photo-op?

Never trust Obama to do anything for USA sake. It is all about him.

Why did GOP screw up by not aggressively working on Sandy?

Why did GOP not realize on Sunday the events of Mon through Thurs?

Why must I be thinking ahead and not anyone from the GOP?

WHY? WHY? WHY?

अनामित म्हणाले...

I'm from South Jersey/Phila, and grew up saying "I'm thirsty, I need some 'wooder'". I saying "I haven't" people with a heavy accent (remember Biden is not from around here, but from Scranton) would drop the first "H" in "haven't" and the "T" (e.g., "I 'aven"), but there would be three syllables.

garage mahal म्हणाले...

Maybe we're just having fun. Chill out.

Meth needs to drop the meth and start smoking some dope. He lives in CA right? It can't be that hard to find. I'm almost positive. Heard it from a friend.

sakredkow म्हणाले...

Just listen to Robbie Robertson's guitar on Hazel. Nasty.

Christoph Dollis म्हणाले...

Definitely "haven't".

Which incidentally sounds like a much bigger gaffe to me and is a damning statement on Biden's judgment or character.

bgates म्हणाले...

I feel I understand the implied "n."

I think the rule for some time has been you have to actually say your n-words; if other people claim to understand one was implied, that's on them.

Freeman Hunt म्हणाले...

I bet it's exciting for Obama to have Biden as his VP. Very suspenseful.

Freeman Hunt म्हणाले...

Maybe that's the real problem: Obama is an adrenaline junkie. Biden for VP. Crazy debt. Bizarre foreign policy. It's a rush.

wyo sis म्हणाले...

Freeman you may have something there.

rcommal म्हणाले...

FWIW, Freeman and wyo sis, that doesn't make sense to me.

From Inwood म्हणाले...

Q "What is the name of the big hurricane?"

Joe Biden: "Sadie"

Althouse: “Biden said ‘Sandy’ in Delaware-ese.

From Inwood म्हणाले...

OOPS Close quote after Delaware-ese

Cosmic Conservative म्हणाले...

This is the sort of thing that makes conservatives look as looney and brain-addled as liberals.

He clearly was saying "I haven't been" in his faux working-man accent.

Sheesh.

wyo sis म्हणाले...

rcommal
What might a person who thinks he's the smartest person in any room do? A person who allows himself to be repeatedly photographed with a halo? Who flips leaders from the opposite side off with not-so-stealth hand gestures?

He might toy with failure and see how far he can push his charisma, with the added buzz of knowing how hard people are working to prop him up, just for thrills and giggles.

Freeman Hunt म्हणाले...

rcommal, sorry. We might have been too dry. Don't really think Obama resembles an adrenaline junkie in any way.

Astro म्हणाले...

No. A phrase like that involving a double negative, for a crowd, requires - it is an absolute necessity - that the words I HAVEN'T BEEN get extra emphasis, not diminishment. You need to drive home that double negative to fire up the crowd. His voice rose, but he dropped the phrasing. Oops.

A freudian slip, or a tell.

Henry म्हणाले...

Forget the audio analysis. Why did Joe think that such a statement was even necessary?

Unknown म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
Astro म्हणाले...

One other comment is that, pulled out of context, the statement sounds like something Biden would say after an Obama defeat in the election.
It carries that tone of, "Well, it's been a great four years, and I've been proud to serve... blah, blah, blah."