207
7.3 (I’m) Just Saying and Related Comment Clausesc. Don’t be angry. I’m only saying – you went to that dinner and she may have
some idea that you?” (1990 Plain, Harvest [COCA])
d. Nathan: Well, we just started dating, Aunt Julie, so... Julie: I ’ m simply say-
ing. (2010 DAYS [SOAP])
As can be seen above, I’m saying is set off as a parenthetical or is a separate
sentence. When I’m just saying is in postpositive position (e.g., 14c) or as a
complete sentence (e.g., 14b, e, and f), the syntactic independence is clear. In
initial position (such as 14a), we have no clear signs of syntactic independence,
apart from the punctuation. However, more conclusive evidence of the paren-
thetical nature of I’m just saying is provided by the examples in which I’m just
saying is followed by a non- declarative or non- fi nite clause (16) or where it is
conjoined to another (full) clause (17).
(16) a. I’m just saying , did you think any of the questions were unfair? (2009 NBC
Today [COCA])^13
b. Oh, I’m just saying , stop buying so many gifts (2008 NBC Today [COCA])
c. I ’ m just saying don’t buy any more leather .” (2000/ 03/ 20 [TIME])
d. I’m just saying , to take a grab bag of indices from around the country and
... (1997 NPR_ TalkNation [COCA])
(17) I’m going to Florida where it’s warm. I’m just saying , and I’m not trying to make
you feel bad or brag (2011 NPR_ Today [COCA])
The frequency of I’m just saying (in speech) has reached the level of evoking
considerable, often proscriptive commentary (see below 7.3.3).^14
7.3.2 All(’s) I’m Saying (Is) and What I’m Saying (Is)
in Present- Day English
Two similar forms which function much like I’m just saying are the all - cleft
all I’m saying (is) and the wh- cleft what I’m saying (is). Like I’m just say-
ing , these forms are frozen in the fi rst- person singular present progressive with
contracted I’m. They are both much rarer than I’m just saying , and they are
most frequently found in initial position (and never independently). Both may
be followed by is , which (theoretically) links the cleft to the following clause,
with all I’m saying/ what I’m saying functioning as the nominalized subjects
of is. However, in some instances (18d– e, 19c) is is in fact omitted. In other
instances (18a– b, 19a– b), all I’m saying (is) and what I’m saying (is) precede a
non- declarative clause, thus making their syntactic independence clear.^15 Even
13 In the remainder of the chapter, underlining indicates a non- declarative clause.
14 In COCA, I’m just saying followed by punctuation has a frequency of 1.45 per million in the
Spoken subcorpus, 0.94 in the Fiction subcorpus, and frequencies below 0.1 in all of the other
subcorpora (searched August 9, 2015).
15 Constructions such as those in (19) are sometimes included among “amalgam clefts,” though
they do not show repetition of subject and verb in the two clauses, as in So what I want is I want
them to say they’re sorry (1997 CNN_ Company [COCA]). For an introduction to amalgam
clefts, see http:// microsyntax.sites.yale.edu/ amalgam- clefts.