I can speak a new language - southern

[TalkisCheap]

This thread struck my funny bone...I'm laughing really hard at those 'How to talk Southern' tips...hehehehe


I'm a Mainah though....and that is how you say it by the way My cousin is a Marylander and says people down south never say 'wicked' or use 'it's not even funny' in ways like, "I'm so cold it's not even funny" like I do all the time...


Dunno if that's true...maybe it's only the Marylanders she knows!!


And I definatly use "You guys" or what about just simple "Everyone" instead of ya'll or y'all or all ya'll or whatever it is you say!!!

(oh yeah...I don't say 'Ayuh' never have, never will...NO ONE DOES!!)

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

well I don't know about ya'll but this thread has made me plum tuckered out

 

[laurie31]

Originally posted by TalkisCheap

And I definatly use "You guys" or what about just simple "Everyone" instead of ya'll or y'all or all ya'll or whatever it is you say!!!

Everyone = 3 syllables

y'all = 1 syllable

'nuff said

Laurie
PS - I don't think I've ever heard my Mom say y'all....and to a group she would say, "What does everyone want to drink?"

 

[BrerMom]

There are too many too cut and paste, so here's the link:
http://www.gagirl.com/southern/south.html

... but I just had to add these!

If you are from the northern states and planning on visiting
or moving to the South, there are a few things you should
know that will help you adapt to the difference in lifestyles:

The North has sun-dried toe-mah-toes, the South has 'mater samiches.

The North has coffee houses, the South has Waffle Houses.

The North has dating services, the South has family reunions.

The North has switchblade knives, the South has Lee Press-on Nails.

The North has double last names, the South has double first names.

The North has Ted Kennedy, the South has Jesse Helms.

The North has an ambulance, the South has an amalance.

The North has Indy car races, the South has stock car races.

The North has Cream of Wheat, the South has grits.

The North has green salads, the South has collard greens.

The North has lobsters, the South has crawdads.

The North has the rust belt, the South has the Bible Belt.

If you run your car into a ditch, don't panic. Four men in a four-wheel drive pickup truck with a tow chain will be along shortly. Don't try to help them, just stay out of their way. This is what they live for.

Don't be surprised to find movie rentals and bait in the same store....Don't buy food at this store.

Remember, "y'all" is singular, "all y'all" is plural, and "all y'all's" is plural possessive.

Get used to hearing "You ain't from 'round here, are ya?"

You may hear a Southerner say "Ought!" to a dog or child. This is short for "Y'all ought not do that!" and is the equivalent of saying "No!"

Don't be worried at not understanding what people are saying. They can't understand you either.

The first Southern statement to creep into a transplanted Northerner's vocabulary is the adjective "big'ol," as in "big'ol truck or "big'ol boy". Most Northerners begin their Southern-influenced dialect this way. All of them are in denial about it.

The proper pronunciation you learned in school is no longer proper.

Be advised that "He needed killin" is a valid defense here.

If you hear a Southerner exclaim, "Hey, y'all, watch this," you should stay out of the way. These are likely to be the last words he'll ever say.

If there is the prediction of the slightest chance of even the smallest accumulation of snow, your presence is required at the local grocery store. It doesn't matter whether you need anything or not. You just have to go there.

When you come up on a person driving 15 mph down the middle of the road, remember that most folks learn to drive on a John Deere, and that is the proper speed and position for that vehicle.

Do not be surprised to find that many 10-year-olds own their own shotguns, they are proficient marksmen, and their mammas taught them how to aim.

In the South, we have found that the best way to grow a lush green lawn is to pour gravel on it and call it a driveway.

If you do settle in the South and bear children, don't think we will accept them as Southerners. After all, if the cat had kittens in the oven, we wouldn't call 'em biscuits!

 

[MJames41]

lol - those are great BrerMom! I know the phrase "Hey, y'all watch this!" very well.

And, for those who are attempting to speak Southern for the first time, it's yall - one syllable, not "you all".

 

[allieoop]

I was born and have lived my entire life in the South. Tennessee, to be more exact. I never thought I had an accent either until I went to Chicago! I don't know whether I actually had an accent or if I gave myself away when I tried to order biscuits at breakfast and sweet tea at lunch!

I always thought myself tolerant of other people's accents. Two of my best friends are from Maine and Michigan. But they recently hired a woman from Boston at work that sits at a desk near mine that has the "Kennedy" accent. She says supah (super) constantly. And I would love to tell her that the word "sure" is only one syllable (she says "su-ah"). And how the heck do you "root" a document to someone?

 

[alabamaalan]

If you are a Yankee, don't even try to fit in language wise. We will love you for who you are as long as you do not tell us how you used to do things "Up North"

Case in point..

My brother once worked at a sawmill with a Yankee who would come in and say "How youse guys doin' ?"

My brother quickly said, "You ain't from around here, are ya?"

If you are a transplanted Yankee, get used to that phrase.

My bro told the man that if he wanted to refer to someone, try a different phrase. He even suggested "Hoss" as a perfectly acceptable term to call a co-worker.

The next day the man came back and greeted them with

"How are you hosses doin' today?"

Please people...don't even try.

 

[tastelikecandy]

Originally posted by grinningghost
At my family reunion today, I learned from my cousin's Texas-born husband how to speak "southern".

Now, you southerners, correct me if this is wrong, but, here goes:

"Y'all" is used when referring to one person

"All Y'all" is used when referring to more than one person

Can this Yankee girl now be an honorary southern girl?

Actually, I am from the south. New Orleans to be exact and I say yau'll short for you all, but lately I have been saying you guys a lot since my California sister came down for a month.

 

[2bemarried]

I am southern thru and thru (yes...that is a correct term here in NC).

Another term we use often is "Bless her heart/Bless his heart". Example...you see an ugly baby and respond "bless his heart". Another example...you're driving on the highway and a granny is in front of you...instead of cussing and making jestures..you respond "bless her heart".

My bro told the man that if he wanted to refer to someone, try a different phrase. He even suggested "Hoss" as a perfectly acceptable term to call a co-worker.

My dad once tried to call my husband Hoss. Had to explain that one later (DH is from Michigan).

First time I went to meet his parents and said hello...his dad's response was "She's talks funny".

LOL Brermama....'nothin better than a 'mater sandwich on a hot summer day.

Oh....one other thing....if you're from up North and ever move to Cary, NC you'll need to know that Cary stands for : Containment Area for Relocated Yankees.

 

[lovemygoofy]

Good Arkansas girl who married a yankee Michigan boy. He swears he married me for my accent, my southern cooking, and my curly hair. He is trying to find a job int he south when he is out of the army so our little ones will have a southern accent too. His family loves to tease me about my accent when we visit but I think it's because I just sound sweeter.

One of my fav hats about the south:
GRITS: Girls Raised In the South

Someone mentioned going to the store at the hint of snow or ice. It's soooo true. You go and get bread, milk, eggs, and toilet paper. Learned that from my mama and granny but never learned why it was just those items.

I work with a lady from Chicago who can't understand me and I can't understand her. She one said she was going to get her "riuts" done. After asking I understand that she meant "roots"
And peope think Southerners talk weird.......

 

[jrydberg]

Southerners do talk weird... doesn't mean that others don't talk weird as well

Lived in Birmingham, AL for a few years after growing up in NJ. I have to say that raising a daughter now, I'm trying to keep her from both the southern and NJ accents

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

Originally posted by KristaTX
Nope - You are still a Yankee. "Y'all" is plural, and it's simply a contraction for "you all". It makes perfect sense . At least that's how it is used in my parts of Oklahoma and Texas. "All y'all" is redundant.

I thought that "All Y'all" was an inclusive use of the "contraction". Instead of saying "all of you" to a group of people where you want EVERYONE included, you say, "All Y'all".


I do agree, "Y'ALL" is NOT singular....

 

[grinningghost]

For any Yankees having babies in the South so they grow up with a Southern accent, it doesn't always work.

My cousin is a Yankee married to a native Texan (not OUR nativetexan on the DIS of course ). They have 3 kids together, live in Plano and those kids do not have any hint of a Southern accent. Funny thing.

 

[browneyes]

Originally posted by grinningghost
"Y'all" is used when referring to one person

Nope, you've failed the pronoun usage part of the Southern Test. Y'all is singular and/or plural. All y'all is used in specific circumstances.

 

[mickeyfan1]

As a Yankee who lived below the Mason-Dixon line for many years, I was told that y'all was singular and all of y'all was plural. This was told to me by a born and bread Georgia boy, perhaps that rule only exists in Georgia? I was also told whilst I lived in GA that I was not a Yankee, I was a DamnYankee. Had I not been living there, I would only be a Yankee. Guess I should be glad I am back home in the North!

 

[alabamaalan]

Come back home Marsha..all is forgiven!

 

[browneyes]

Originally posted by mickeyfan1
As a Yankee who lived below the Mason-Dixon line for many years, I was told that y'all was singular and all of y'all was plural. This was told to me by a born and bread Georgia boy, perhaps that rule only exists in Georgia? I was also told whilst I lived in GA that I was not a Yankee, I was a DamnYankee. Had I not been living there, I would only be a Yankee. Guess I should be glad I am back home in the North!

I've lived in Georgia all my life. I don't think I've ever said "all of y'all". I have said "all y'all" before though. But that was just in specific circumstances (rowdy crowds, etc). I use y'all as singular and plural most of the time.

Even though I've lived in Georgia all my life, there are some that call me a Yankee based on the fact I don't like NASCAR, I don't like a lot of traditional southern foods (give me a bagel over a biscuit any day!), and I don't hold The War against anyone. But that's just why my SO calls me a Yankee.

 

[mickeyfan1]

Originally posted by alabamaalan
Come back home Marsha..all is forgiven!

Alan, y'all are so sweet!

 

[alabamaalan]

Thanks, but for the record, I do not use y'all as singular and have never heard anyone else do it either!

It is still "you" for one, "y'all" for two or more, and "all y'all" can be used for a large group for emphasis.

And "you all" is used only on television when someone thinks they are imitating a Southern Belle.

Of course, everything varies region to region, but that's part of the fun....

 

[supergoof]

Spending my first 28 years of my life in Birmingham, Al. and the last 7 even further south, I have a few suggestions for anyone struggling with ouy dialect; <clear throat>
When we say, "are yall fixin to get ready to go to town." This means we need an e.t.a on how long we should expect to wait before someone leaves on a journey. In addition if you "go to town" this could be a majior metroplis or any unincoriparated city, town or anywhere. (as long as the said destination has at least a post office.)
If the area has no p.o. the you are simply, "runnin' down to the store" which could be a quick mart, p-nut stand, dollar general, or a small groshree store. (Of course the standing joke when someone is "runnin to the store" is "take the truck, you'll get there faster!"
I'll try to post some more inside info later for my yankee brothers and sisters.

p.s. the Civil War is refered to the "war of northern aggression" down here.