Are Northern Girls Really Different from Southern Girls?

[sdarwkcabemanmy]

"It's the drawl y'all".

Wait a sekun, yew got sum drool on yer chin thar. Lemme wipe it off wif my flardy tahl.

In the South things are much slower paced, people are more laid back. We drive slower, talk slower, even slow cook our food. Views tend to be more conservative. Social groups of friends tend to be on the large side (acquaintances). It is possible to be in a social group for years & not have that tight bond...even though you know that if need be those people would drop EVERYTHING to be there. When hanging out...there is more emphesis on "Who is going to be there?" In the South, family is family...and friends are friends-unless they are related to you.

Even our body types are vastly different. In the South..."blossoming" seems to happen earlier, women are prouder of their curves. The men are different, also. Take the most rude, arrogant, jerk & chances are...he won't cuss in front of a lady (and if he does...will say "excuse me"), says yes or no ma'am/sir, and they tend to be proud of being "mama's boys" cause she was the first woman to love him for himself.

No matter where she decides to go to school, I hope she finds happiness & deep friendships. (Bless her heart.

I totally agree.

You can also get away with saying ANYTHING about ANYONE if you just add 'bless his/her/their/it's heart'.

Another thing I noticed when I was visiting DH's family up north..they don't double up on words to change the meaning.
For example, "Marge and I are going shopping. But we're not going shopping shopping." When you double up on the word, it changes the meaning but I didn't seem to hear DH's family doing that although I hear it all the time here.

 

[hentob]

We drive slower....

Take that back!!!!!!! That is a myth! We were just down with ya'll and I was amazed by all of you speed demons!!

 

[c4a]

Sometimes southern sweetness can give you a stomach ache.

It's like the sweet tea...if not used to it...better to take it in moderation.

Groom's cake, punch, the Thank You card (forgot about sending back the RSVP card in a timely manner. Not doing that can get you disowned...or start a family fued. )

In the South, I have noticed that after being "chastised"...it sometimes leaves me confused. Only in the South, will you ever feel like thanking the person who told you off ...as if they had paid you the best compliment.

 

[chrisw127]

How timely. We went to my son's kindergarten class today and he showed us how they count the syllables of words by holding their thumb to their chins, except here some words that are one syllable sound like they have two, like when the kids were saying "hay yur" instead of hair. Anyway, it just amused me.

 

[c4a]

Take that back!!!!!!! That is a myth! We were just down with ya'll and I was amazed by all of you speed demons!!

Obviously, you were in a big city. Up until the gas prices went up, taking a Sunday drive was still the family thing "to do". Drive around, real slow and look at the scenery. (Some of the people I think were just getting home from the previous week's trip. )

 

[ols386]

What's funny to me is that, I was born and raised in Indiana (I won't say my age, but I am over 40), and lived there until about 14 years ago, when we moved to Michigan. When we moved to Michigan, and to THIS day, people still ask my dd26 and I both, if we are from the south because they think we have a southern accent. Doesn't seem like there would be that much difference in an accent, moving just one state, to the north. But I will say, that when we go back down to Indiana to visit family, THEY sound to me like they have a REAL southern accent.

 

[chrisw127]

Here's another thing: The cold. My husband grew up in Bloomfield Hills, MI which is just ridiculously cold and after 20 years living in the south, even he thinks 50 degrees is COLD! I'm still shocked by the time my SIL tried to arrange a family vacation in Lake Tahoe one year. In the winter!!!! Can you imagine? Of course, we refused to go.

 

[hentob]

Obviously, you were in a big city. Up until the gas prices went up, taking a Sunday drive was still the family thing "to do". Drive around, real slow and look at the scenery. (Some of the people I think were just getting home from the previous week's trip. )

We were on Rt. 40 from Greensboro to Durham, and I kept saying "Where the heck are all of the SLOW Southeners!?!?!"

 

[ZephyrHawk]

What is "shopping shopping"? How does it differ from "shopping"?


Question for the Southern ladies. I drove down south with my DH some time ago, and we stopped at a Mickey D's for lunch. The woman at the counter had a pronounced drawl and I thought it was just awesome. I mentioned it to DH and he said that I shouldn't be talking about it and that it wasn't polite.

If you have a southern accent, would you be offended by someone saying how neat it is to hear your accent? I thought DH was being really weird.

 

[sdarwkcabemanmy]

How timely. We went to my son's kindergarten class today and he showed us how they count the syllables of words by holding their thumb to their chins, except here some words that are one syllable sound like they have two, like when the kids were saying "hay yur" instead of hair. Anyway, it just amused me.

HAYUR!

And I love Southern expressions, like "Out the light". The first time my DH heard somebody say this he was like, "What?"

 

[c4a]

What's funny to me is that, I was born and raised in Indiana (I won't say my age, but I am over 40), and lived there until about 14 years ago, when we moved to Michigan. When we moved to Michigan, and to THIS day, people still ask my dd26 and I both, if we are from the south because they think we have a southern accent. Doesn't seem like there would be that much difference in an accent, moving just one state, to the north. But I will say, that when we go back down to Indiana to visit family, THEY sound to me like they have a REAL southern accent.

I was born and spent most of my childhood in Indiana & even though it is "supposed" to be Midwest...the Southern part of the state is much closer to Southern. But Midwest & Southern aren't that far apart in how they are.The South is just a little more laid back.
New England is very different than both.
Michigan and Wisconsin...I liked both...but it was like I was in a different world. I literally thought the people in the Upper Peninsula were speaking a different language. I know they had to think me rude because I kept saying "Excuse me?", "Pardon?". I guess it is like when I go up to Boston to visit family...& they start finishing my sentences for me or just flat out tell me "Will you spit it out, already?"

 

[SC Minnie]

What is "shopping shopping"? How does it differ from "shopping"?


Question for the Southern ladies. I drove down south with my DH some time ago, and we stopped at a Mickey D's for lunch. The woman at the counter had a pronounced drawl and I thought it was just awesome. I mentioned it to DH and he said that I shouldn't be talking about it and that it wasn't polite.

If you have a southern accent, would you be offended by someone saying how neat it is to hear your accent? I thought DH was being really weird.

Shopping shopping= serious shopping not just browsing

as far as commenting on the accent it depends if your comments come across like you are making fun of us or not. DH's family will make comments about my accent sometimes (and I really don't have a strong southern accent) and they are making fun of me.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

What's funny to me is that, I was born and raised in Indiana (I won't say my age, but I am over 40), and lived there until about 14 years ago, when we moved to Michigan. When we moved to Michigan, and to THIS day, people still ask my dd26 and I both, if we are from the south because they think we have a southern accent. Doesn't seem like there would be that much difference in an accent, moving just one state, to the north. But I will say, that when we go back down to Indiana to visit family, THEY sound to me like they have a REAL southern accent.

I don't think we can so much tell you're from the (slight) south, it's more that there's a fairly specific Michigan accent we're all used to.

Here's another thing: The cold. My husband grew up in Bloomfield Hills, MI which is just ridiculously cold and after 20 years living in the south, even he thinks 50 degrees is COLD! I'm still shocked by the time my SIL tried to arrange a family vacation in Lake Tahoe one year. In the winter!!!! Can you imagine? Of course, we refused to go.

You don't know from cold. When I was in college, around the time of the first snowfall (usually November) kids from the South or CA would always start asking "No seriously, how cold does it get here?" I'd always tell them that in high school I went to school one day in -40 weather. The day before it had been even colder and school was closed. We timed how long the dog was let out for so she wouldn't get frostbite. They just have no concept of what actual "cold" is.

 

[clarabelle]

What is "shopping shopping"? How does it differ from "shopping"?


Question for the Southern ladies. I drove down south with my DH some time ago, and we stopped at a Mickey D's for lunch. The woman at the counter had a pronounced drawl and I thought it was just awesome. I mentioned it to DH and he said that I shouldn't be talking about it and that it wasn't polite.

If you have a southern accent, would you be offended by someone saying how neat it is to hear your accent? I thought DH was being really weird.

If you just said you liked it -I wouldn't mind. If I felt you were being condescending (I'm sure you weren't) It would bother me.
Mine is certainly there -but not super strong (I don't think -maybe I am kidding myself)

 

[c4a]

What is "shopping shopping"? How does it differ from "shopping"?


Question for the Southern ladies. I drove down south with my DH some time ago, and we stopped at a Mickey D's for lunch. The woman at the counter had a pronounced drawl and I thought it was just awesome. I mentioned it to DH and he said that I shouldn't be talking about it and that it wasn't polite.

If you have a southern accent, would you be offended by someone saying how neat it is to hear your accent? I thought DH was being really weird.

Shopping shopping is actual serious shopping. Where shopping can just be browsing or window shopping.

I hear from other's that I have an accent. To me, it is everyone else that has one. Would you be offended if I said I liked yours? Doesn't bug me. It's just how we talk.

 

[SpecialK]

What's funny to me is that, I was born and raised in Indiana (I won't say my age, but I am over 40), and lived there until about 14 years ago, when we moved to Michigan. When we moved to Michigan, and to THIS day, people still ask my dd26 and I both, if we are from the south because they think we have a southern accent. Doesn't seem like there would be that much difference in an accent, moving just one state, to the north. But I will say, that when we go back down to Indiana to visit family, THEY sound to me like they have a REAL southern accent.

My DH's cousins live in a small town in Indiana. It takes us about an hour and a half to drive there from here (Chgo burbs) But the way they all talk, I feel like we've crossed the Mason-Dixon.

 

[ols386]

Here's another thing: The cold. My husband grew up in Bloomfield Hills, MI which is just ridiculously cold and after 20 years living in the south, even he thinks 50 degrees is COLD! I'm still shocked by the time my SIL tried to arrange a family vacation in Lake Tahoe one year. In the winter!!!! Can you imagine? Of course, we refused to go.

I live about an hour north of Bloomfield Hills, and YEP, it sure does get cold. So, how cold does it get in North Carolina during the winter? What is the average low temperature?

 

[Hoodie]

There are differences. My first college was in the south. The girls were nice, but VERY different. My best friend from then (and still) was from New Jersey - we both left after the first year.

 

[clarabelle]

Back to the OP
Maybe there were religious or political differences?
Also we don't tend to have as many people here who have a strong Italian or Polish heritage -if she is used to that.
For example -I never knew that people had Pasta or antipasti on Thanksgiving day until I started posting on the Dis. Little things like that.

 

[sdarwkcabemanmy]

I don't think we can so much tell you're from the (slight) south, it's more that there's a fairly specific Michigan accent we're all used to.

When I get around my mom's family (who are from the Deep South) or around DH's family (some of whom live in the UP of MI) my accent gets worse. DH's grandma commented on it the first time we met..said it was so lovely to hear a REAL Southern accent instead of the 'fake ones' on TV.