[Valerie B.]

I have noticed that while I might say 'I live on the Westside' or 'I lived in Fort Lauderdale,' African Americans say 'I am staying on the Westside' or 'I stayed in Fort Lauderdale'. My theory is that this grammer is carried over from the days when the slaves were at the mercy of their masters: they could be traded or sold at a moment's notice, so they didn't have permnament homes. Am I wrong?

User Detail :  

Name : Valerie B., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Methodist, Age : 53, City : Jacksonville, State : FL Country : United States, Occupation : customer service, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

[Lynne]

I think it may be more of a small-town or country Southernism than an African American thing. When I was growing up near Detroit, I never heard anybody use 'stay' this way. But when I first moved to Florida, I noticed it right away, because it sounded so unusual to me, and although African Americans may tend to use it more, it's also quite common among white people, especially older and poorer ones, at least around here.

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Name : Lynne, City : Gainesville, State : FL Country : United States, 

[A28950]

I really have to doubt that it has anything to do with slavery or impermanence. I have lived in the South for several years and I notice this among both whites and blacks. Soon after I received a job transfer and was living in a hotel until I could find a house, a female co-worker asked me 'where do you stay?', and I wondered if I was being propositioned! Every place has its own linguistic quirks. It might come from the German 'stehen', which roughly corresponds to 'stay' but could, by a stretch, mean 'to live somewhere'. Many early white Southerners were of German and Dutch origin. Just a thought.

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Name : A28950, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 45, City : Columbia, State : SC Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[C Kelly]

There may be cultural conflicts and/or hostilities that are hanging on from slavery, reconstruction, and the yet unfinished Civil Rights Movement, but the use of the term 'stay' vs 'live' has more to do with the region you live in. Just as a Midwesterner may say 'Pop' and an Easterner says 'soda'; there's no ethnic or political statement being made... we both just want a Pepsi.

User Detail :  

Name : C Kelly, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, City : South Bend, State : IN Country : United States, 

[K.]

Maybe I'm the only one, but I use 'stay' when I know someone is living somewhere temporarily. 'What dorm do you stay in?' 'Oh, you're here for a six-month assignment, where do you stay?' If I'm speaking of someone's permanent residence I ask 'where do you live?'

User Detail :  

Name : K., Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 29, City : Orlando, State : FL Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[Jason]

It depends on what city or area you live in, not what race or class you belong to. I was raised in Birmingham and can honestly say that everyone here (black, white, and everything else) uses 'stay' more than 'live'... it's so common I didn't even notice it until I read your post.

User Detail :  

Name : Jason, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 23, City : Birmingham, State : AL Country : United States, Occupation : Security Guard, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

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