218 Forms of Say
b. I’m raving like a real lunatic, I’m thinking, and the sorrow you put on me
has my brains drownded in grief. ... Tell me it’s a lie, I’m saying! (1920
O’Neill, Anna Christie [COHA])
c. Come back here, I’m saying , you’ve no call to be spying behind her (1905
Synge, The well of the saints [CLMET3.0])
The construction I’m not Xing ... I’m just saying is an unlikely source for
I’m just saying. While it does exist, it occurs infrequently, and I have not found
any early examples:
(33) a. I’m not suggesting that; I ’ m just saying it (1948 Cozzens, Guard of honor
[COHA])
b. “ I’m not saying all women. I ’ m just saying the actual aesthetic of woman,
of being female.” (1992 Washington Post [COHA])
c. I’m not blaming anybody, Wanda. I ’ m just saying we left last night and
I knew we didn’t get that scene. (1995 Living in oblivion [COHA])
Finally, given the late appearance of the progressive in English, a likely
source of I’m just saying might be the simple present- tense form, I just say.
However, this form proves to be quite uncommon and late in appearance.^27
Its fi rst appearance coincides with that of I’m just saying , namely, the 1830s–
1840s. It is typically followed by a complement that - clause or NP and has lit-
eral meaning. In a few instances, however, it seems to approximate a comment
clause , especially in (34c), where it is followed by a non- declarative clause:
(34) a. I don’t say this to excuse him. I just say it. (1908 Butler, The cheerful smug-
glers [COHA])
b. I just say it’s healthier – and more practical – to assume that this is all we
have. (1930 Behrman, No time for comedy [COHA])
c. S o I just say , let’s practice what we preach (1953/ 02/ 23 TIME)
I only say is earlier and more common than I just say.^28 The earliest examples
occur with a complement clause with that- deletion:
(35) a. I didn’t say it was likely – I only say it is true (1798 Inchbald, Lover’s vows
[CLMET3.0])
b. S o I only say , your obliging epistle was like you (1780– 96 Brownings,
Letters [CLMET3.0])
c. I only say he wears Lazarra’s livery (1800 Cumberland, Joanna of
Montfaucon [CLMET 3.0])
that while this construction may be Irish, it is limited or idiosyncratic to some extent. (My
thanks to Kevin McCafferty and Carolina Amador- Moreno for referring me to this corpus.)
27 CEN provides two examples dated 1911 and 1921, CLMET3.0 one example from 1845– 46,
COHA seven examples before 1900, the earliest being 1835.
28 CEN provides 20 examples, CLMET3.0 25 examples, the earliest being 1782, COHA 64
examples before 1900, the earliest being 1835.