Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Appalachian Dialect--Part II


This is a continuation of my last blog on "Appalachian Dialect." I got so many comments and emails after writing the first one. It was just so much fun comparing the language in various areas. The following are phrases and/or words and sentences that are written using Appalachian Dialect. See how many of them you relate to!!!! I put an asterick (*) by the ones I still use sometimes--to this day!!!!

*Go GIT me some cake.
*Both pen and pin are prounounced like PIN.
*Hem sounds like him. (Let's HIM the skirt!!!!) ha
*CRACK that door. (means to open the door a little)
He lives up YANDER in that HOLLER. (yonder and hollow)
I walked in a CRICK (instead of creek).
*Is it Mondee morning yet?
Did he go a-huntin'?
I LIKE to broke my neck when I fell.
* I got chillbumps all over me. (goose bumps)
Everwho left the door open needs to close it.
* Well, I swanny!!!
He HAINT got no LARNIN'.
* Idn't that nice? (and NICE is strung out for awhile!!! ha)
A tire is a TAR and a fire is a FAR.
*If Walmart ain't got it, you don't need it!
I done went to the store.
*Who WUZ there?
*I RECKON (meaning I suppose)
A paper bag is a POKE.
*A shopping cart is a BUGGY.
*A frying pan is a SKILIT.
*Pop or soda was always called 'coke'.
*I'm PLUM lucky to know you.
*I'm gonna WARSH some clothes.
*I'm going to Warshington, DC.
I'm gonna ARN (iron).
You are RIGHT smart.
Dang, you're purty.
He explained it REAL simple.
The corn growed real good last year.
*I'm gonna buy ME a new dress.
JEAT????? (Did you eat?)
*I was FIXIN' to go to the store.
Law, I hope how soon we get some rain!
I was gettin' better but now I've took a BACKSET with this flu.
He don't scare me none. I done finished my lessons.
* Are you NECKED as a jaybird???
How many CHILLINS do you have?
How FUR is it to town?
Are you TARD tonight?
*Check the book out of the LIBERRY.
*You were SMACK DAB on target.
I live out CHEER in the woods.
Thet pore boy's an awkward size--too big for a man and not big enough for a horse.
Zeke, he come bustin' outta thar and hit it for the road quick as double-geared lightenin!

Welll---I could go on and on ---but you get the idea!!!! Such colorful language we have!!!! But there is one thing that irritates me: To hear an 'outsider' try to pronounce the word Appalachian... It is "app-uh-latch-in" (NOT "app-up-lay-shin). Do you GIT it now?????

+++++++++
Hope you enjoyed my posts about dialects. I'd love to hear more of your crazy words and phrases!!!! On a personal note, we had a huge thunderstorm with HAIL yesterday. The tornado sirens blared --but luckily we are fine! ALSO---following through with my love of being a southern gal, I fixed pinto beans and cornbread for dinner last night. YUM-Dilly-IOUS!!
Hugs,

46 comments:

Kim said...

LOVE all of the phrasis Betsy. I am going to have to remember a couple of them for future reference! HA!

Anonymous said...

Sounds like my neighbors. LOL

Abraham Lincoln
Brookville Daily Photo

SmilingSally said...

What do you call the thing you drink: soda, pop, soft drink?

Shelley said...

So I would have an northeastern accent then! This is fun - a lot of these phrases made me laugh! Smilingsal brought up a good question above. i know we say "pop" here.

Anonymous said...

Such a fun post Betsy. So many of the phrases remind me of grandpa.

Jayne said...

LOLOLOL.... Jeat? Oh, I about spit my coffee all over the monitor. Uh, are you saying other parts of the country don't say that???? Jeat yet?

Peggy said...

We had the thunderstorms too but no hail. Also had pintos, fried taters and cornbread for supper. LOL

EG CameraGirl said...

OOPS! I say Appalachian wrong! (but I grew up in the north where they say it that way. ;-)

A Brit in Tennessee said...

Betsy, loved this posting...
Yes, I've heard most all of these ;). When I first came to the area I bought one of those little books they used to sell at the Cracker Barrel restaurants, "How to speak Southern", I studied it !
Even today, I smile when I listen to people using some of the older sayings, a bit like up North in england. Eeh bah gum...

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Betsy: I get in trouble with warsh and crick all the time from the family. This was a fun post. The reason I can never spell Appalachian is clearly shown in the way it is pronounced.

Cedar ... said...

Good list! I see a few that we say up here in the north. And we do say Appalachian the northern way. Here all soft drinks (coke, pepsi, etc.) are "soda"... doesn't make any difference the brand or flavor. Love the map!

Unknown said...

YUP, I know darn near all these. We don't put an r in Washington or Wash though.

Busy Bee Suz said...

This is so funny. I do recognize most of the phrases too.
What I like to say: "I'm gonna ARN, or else we will all be neked"
:)

Anonymous said...

Some of these phrases are amazingly colorful. I'd turn a few heads if I used one around here. We have a creek that runs around our property and we do sometimes call it a crick.

Dorothy said...

Good Morning Betsy! Looks like you beat me to that and you did such a great job with it!! Of course I recognize all of those;-)

ShabbyInTheCity said...

My chest is "all stove up" but I won't let you do the warsh around me EWWW! Do you want to go to Lafayette with me?

NCmountainwoman said...

Oh, I recognize them all. I was quite surprised that folks in WI also use the word "crick." And water fountains there are "bubblers."

I envy your pinto bean supper. I love them and order them every time we are at a Cracker Barrel.

dot said...

I use some of those but I never have called a creek a crick. Another good one Betsy!

Susie said...

Enjoyed reading them all Betsy. I'm not sure how many of these sayings I use but I am real good at cutting off words when speaking.

Glad you guys made it thru the storms okay.

Patty said...

Besty
Those phrases are part of my life! lol

Anonymous said...

Just loved all this, and the map too. I'm going to have to track down that PBS video. I wanted to buy a copy at the time it was showing, but got sidetracked. Anyway, love your dialect notes. I say "creek" for the water, but get a "crick" in my neck. As for consistency, I've lived around so many places, and known so many people from other places, too, adopting what I like as my own, that my phrases and speech are a real patchwork.

Jen said...

Great posts Betsy.
Funny thang, I don't have any troubles readin any of it.

I Am Woody said...

Accent? I ain't got no accent!!

Natalie said...

These 2 posts are absolutely wonderful! I grew up hearing most of these phrases.

Mary Isabella and Kiley too! said...

Guess what Betsy I had cornbread,pinto beans, meatloaf and choclate puddin for dinner last night.You know we say puddin instead of pudding. LOL. These were wonerful post, I really enjoyed reading several times. Have a great Thursday!!!...m..

Mary Isabella and Kiley too! said...

I cannot spell today either LOL..m.

Ruth's Photo Blog said...

Fascinating!Glad to hear you are safe after the storm.
Blessings,Ruth

Diane AZ said...

Dialects are so interesting, I always wonder how those variations get started. You've posted some entertaining examples of the Appalaccian dialect!

Diane said...

Betsy, You're awoman just like me. I love words. I love how people say them. I love to try to identify where people are from by the way they talk. This morning in the doctor's office I was reading a book that explains French phrases that have worked their way into the English language. My grandma was from Arkansas and she had some colorful ways of saying things. The one that I never understood was sam hell or sam hill, as in "what the sam hell does HE want." This is a fun post

Anonymous said...

This is very interesting. I watched a 20/20 episode talking about the poverty in the hills..very sad. But now I know how to say it...

Karin said...

Oh Betsy, I loved this post! I, too, love words and listening to the way people talk. Each different heritage brings something unique to our language and that is such a joy! Which of the old TV sitcoms best sounds like your accent??

Jessica said...

My sister and brother in law adopted two teenage boys from North Carolina and I absolutely love listening to them talk!

GeneaDiva said...

Loved this post and I so relate to this beautiful language, so soft and sweet and gentle to the ear. I'm so glad God blessed me to live in the hills of Tennessee.

Rose said...

You left out "he ain't got a lick of sense' and "did you goat the store yet" (goat=got to), and I forget what else crossed my mind.

I started to use SMACK DAB just the other day in my blog, but thought I better not.

I don't put the 'r' in wash, but you and I sure use a lot of the same phrases.

I set here laughing till I got tears in my eyes...

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Thanks to all for visiting and commenting today. I certainly did enjoy reading all of your comments... I do have so many wonderful memories of my hometown and the southwest Virginia area.

Thanks again to all.
Hugs,
Betsy

Anonymous said...

ROFLOL,Betsy you hit it on the head. I've used most of these phrases. I've lived in different localities that I picked up some of the different sayins. I still get ribbed about the way I talk. Don't worry me none. I talk the way I talk.

Unknown said...

Oh you & I could have a seriously fun chat Betsy LOL!

Cassie said...

Well Betsy, I'll always be an outsider in the south...of course I say Appalachian with the hard "a"! I was a little shocked when my niece said on her myface page that she was raised in the Appalachian Mtns. (We were a little far North for that!!) I guess there is some sort of mystique to those mtns.

Grammy said...

I have a number of those in my vocab. Warsh was pointed out to me in 95 by a friend of my daughter I never knew it was wrong. And I still have ties to Wv. And now understand what a holler is. And what most of them are saying. But I will not call a soda a pop. When at a store in Wv they thought i had an O hiO accent. lol I have a mo/with left over WV. accent. lol.

Loran said...

Ah knowed it wuz aap-uh-latch-in! You forgot All Y'all. One of my favor-ITES.

Anonymous said...

Betsy, I after reading your list and laughing like crazy, I have to tell you that I heard the same things in Missouri where I grew up. Thanks for taking me back. :-)

It always warms my heart to come visit you and George.

Anonymous said...

These are great, Betsy. I'm from further east in Virginia, but my Mom grew up on a farm out in the country, so a lot of what you've listed is familiar to me. When I call home and talk to her I slip right back in to it - so much so that the minute I open my mouth, my husband says "how's your mom?"

Hey, would you believe I was in my 40s and married before I knew there were people that thought "pen" and "pin" had distinct pronunciations? To this day, I can't hear it.

Connie said...

That was fun to read, Betsy. I'm a northerner,(Ohio) but some of these things I say too. :)

Leedra said...

I from further south and I didn't know what pinto beans were until I moved to Tennessee...at the age of 18. We ate Black Eyed Peas all year, not just New Year's.

I hear people on the TV and radio that say LIBERRY, and wonder did they not have that 4th grade teacher that made them learn to say that correctly.

Most of the ones you are an * next to I still say too.

People in TN say I talk like I am from Georgia. Family in Georgia laugh at me and say I talk like I was born and raised in Tennessee. So I was a little interested in your map, and it does show the 2 areas to be separated.

Leedra’s Photos For Fun
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Anonymous said...

I stumbled across your Appalachian dialect post while looking for info. on the words/phrases people say in Southeast Ohio. I've heard people say "poke drunk," as in "What's wrong with you, are you poke drunk?" (Sort of like telling someone to wake up and pay attention.) I think this refers to birds eating poke berries, becoming disoriented, and flying into windows--which I've heard old-timers say happens.

Any of you ever heard of this expression, "poke drunk"? I can't find any info on it any where, but in my experience it is/was used by older central Appalachian dialect speakers.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi There, I've never heard of "Poke Drunk"---but it sounds like you have the right explanation. Have your googled it???? Try that.

Thanks for stopping by.
Betsy