"Done" occurs outside of the participle paradigm in several varieties of English particularly those associated currently or historically with the South. This feature is also found in Appalachian English. Grammatical classifications have been proposed, including that of quasi-modal, pre-verbal form, and adverb. None of the labelling attempts successfully explains the non-participle "done" paradigm. Clearer understanding of non-participle "done" emerges in the light of its semantic and pragmatic characteristics. Scott treats the non-participle "done" in Black English as "a focus-marker, to emphasize the completion" of the accompanying verb phrase, and points out its semantic incompatibility with certain verb forms. An expansion of this approach can be supported for the "done" in Appalachian English. Data are presented to argue that: (1) the semantics of "done," as a marker of completion or perfective aspect, explains its co-occurrence restrictions with other verb forms; and (2) the functional aspects of its use determine its general incompatibility with clause types other than assertions where it is used to add emphasis. It is argued that syntactic classification alone is not sufficient. The proposal made here is that "done" has the semantic content that indicates the perfective aspect, or completion, and that its pragmatic function is to add emphasis or to intensify an assertion. (Author/CLK)