Jesse, here are some discussions of "So don't I":

(MA) [link]

(MA) [link]

(PA, and Central NY?) [link]

(not just MA?, and in reference to the prior link) [link]

(Carleton County, New Brunswick, CA) [link]

(Vermont) [link]

It appears it might be in lyrics to a song (maybe by Queen, I didn't click the lyrics links because they're usually terrible about pop-ups and viruses).

I can hear myself saying it now in response to certain questions, or if I've phrased a rhetorical in the negative, with "wouldn't you" or something. Huh.

It might even be a family thing, or social circle sort of thing. I was caught short by both the "neither" and the "them boxes".

It may be a social class thing. My grandparents were way down on the social totem pole.

Did they grow up on the Cape, or settle there?

I have nothing useful to say about writing dialect. When it's done well, I have no problem reading it, but when it's not...ugh. Then it turns into something to slog through, which ruins the reading for me. Finding the right balance seems like the most important thing -- picking the handful of words that need the emphasis to give the text the right flavor.

And copyediting it is a nightmare, especially when it's done badly, because you have make everything consistent.

Does anyone outside of Somerville say "So don't I" when they mean "So do I"?

I've never heard this.

Did they grow up on the Cape, or settle there?

They grew up there. In fact, except for a couple of trips to Boston, my grandmother never left the Cape until she was in her late fifties.

"De" is closer in spelling to "the" than is "di".

Well, yeah, but as I noted, not much. And it's pronounced differently (in fact, I think that we use "de" or "dey" for the patois for "there"). Is it still worth it then?

I think some of it is that American sometimes use "de" for "the" when writing certain accents, and that's why it looks more familiar. I'm not sure it's worth it, though.

I don't say "so don't I," but I do say "I could care less," to mean "I don't care," which makes just as little sense

I'm doing a rewrite/polish on Save Firefly, which will be the sample essay in the proposal. I expect to complete it by tonight, and was wondering if anyone could do a quick beta to make sure I'm not on crack. I have to add the piece about the movie getting made, and the growing myth that we had anything to do with it.

Allyson, bebe, send it along.

edit: bearing in mind that I'm leaving for San Diego tomorrow morning, and getting back Sunday night...

I'll beta, Allyson. Profile addy.

I'd be happy to read it, Allyson. Profile address is good if you want to send it.