Recently on the Lowlands Languages listserv, the topic of final -s inflection on all persons rather than just the 3rd singular came up. I have searched for several years for a discussion in a book on this and cannot find it. Then someone from Worcester City in England wrote in and said that way of speaking was quite common in her area. Another person mentioned Norwich as the site of a study done on this. On the old list I recall this topic being discussed. Does anyone have information to add, esp a citation?
Pat Barrett

This reminds me of a satirical 18th-century verse about a famous physician, John Coakley Lettsom (1744-1815), who signed his name ‘I. Lettsom’ (the ‘I’ presumably stood for Iohannes, the Latinized form of John):

When any sick to me apply,
I physics, bleeds and sweats ‘em;
If after that, they choose to die,
What’s that to me? - I. Lettsom.

So it seems that the final -s in the first person was familiar enough in the 18th century to enable the pun on Lettsom’s name.

"Yes, I likes it,” she replied.

David Copperfield.

from Southern Britain - Dorset (traditional, n.d.)

Be oi Baarkshire? Be oi booggery!
Oi do come from Wareham,
Where the girls wears calico knicks,
And oi knaows ‘ow to tear ‘em.

(I think this has come up before. Sorry if I’m being repetitious)

Not just Worcestershire and Norfolk.  It’s fairly common in north east England to hear the first person +s ending when narrating events.  eg “I goes in and asks her for some money before I tells her why I needs it.” My guess is it’s fairly widespread in England.

ya pays yur money and ya takes yur chances.

Why’s this here, then? Seems like fine main discussion board material.

Isn’t this the main discussion board?  Where am I??

“That’s all I can stands, and I can’t stands no more!” - Popeye, sometime after 1933

“I wants a bouquet of flowers for my sweet patatootie.” - Popeye, Oct 1933

I thought those cartoons relied heavily on the popular shared experience (slang, etc) of those times.  If so, the extra “s” was popular in the US around the mid nineteen-thirties.

Isn’t this the main discussion board?  Where am I??

The thread was started in the Meta board, but I moved it to the main board long ago. I left a “ghost” pointer on the Meta board, however. OP Tipping must have followed that link.

That’s exactly what happened. Now I look like some kind of crazy person.

That’s OK—you may be crazy, but you’re our kind of crazy!