But the usage of ways, as in "a little ways," is heavy all throughout the Lamsas area, up and down the Eastern Seaboard and out toward the Midwest. "Way occurs in a long band from Richmond through Washington, D.C., to eastern Pennsylvania and Philadelphia, to southeastern New York including New York City," says the man from Lamsas, pointing to a map showing additional pockets in Pittsburgh, Albany and Syracuse, as well as on the Eastern Shore and in the northern Shenandoah Valley, with a mere scattering in the South. He carries on the work of the great word geographer Hans Kurath, and serves as editor in chief of the Linguistic Atlas of the Middle and South Atlantic States, known by its acronym, Lamsas. "The difference between way and ways has an interesting areal distribution," says William A. Most usage books assume that a way is the more common usage, but linguistic geographers say it seems that a ways, dating back to 1588 in this sense, may be more prevalent, and may teach us about the roots of American English. "But I still have a ways to go." (Bevy, the collective noun, is a 500-year-old word of mysterious Middle English origin because it is often used to group birds, and is associated with the alliterative bevy of beauties, the word has gained a sexist connotation that I herewith reject.)
A bevy of cowgirls, according to the country singer Emmylou Harris, agrees with the colloquial usage: "I know the finish line's in sight," go the words to a 1993 Lainie Marsh song on her latest album.
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