I remember thinking some years back about one of my cousins back home and how she has such a deep Southern accent that she almost sounds British.
And when you think about it, it almost makes sense. At one time, not too long ago when you really think about it, everyone spoke that way here.
And with the isolation of the rural South, it’s logical to think that the Southern accent might not have Americanized like others have.
Which goes to show that the South, in some far, remote locales, can resemble its own country.
i just love that deep southern drawl. when i grow up i want to be wooderson from dazed and confused: “ahhhh ged older they stay the saaaaame aaage.”
it’s almost a north yorkshire accent.
Actually, here’s a challenge for some readers on this one. I reckon some of these Brit dialects sound like deep south stuff. See if you can translate.
1) Thalafter gerranewan.
2) Summat suppeer.
3) Gerritetten.
4) Corforous arpastate.
5) Worri weeiz sen?
6) Issezitiniz burraberritiz.
Wow. I read this over and over, and I think I’m being asked to come to dinner at half past eight.
Number 4 is certainly “Call by for us at half past eight.”
There’s only one in there that relates to food and I think you already guessed that.
Actually I was thinking #2 was about ‘see you at supper’, and #3 was about ‘get it eaten’.
#6…”I says it isn’t his “burraberr” it is.” What’s that?
Ain’t language a kick?
Watched the National Spelling Bee some last night. Now I know that I know nothing!
buh.raa.ud = bread
mee.ulk = milk
Leslie,
#2 is probably the most misleading. “Summat suppeer”
summat = something
suppeer = is up here
Which translates to “something not right is happening here.”
You nailed #3. Tres bon.
Close on #6. He says it isn’t his, but I bet it is.
It’s really easy once you get into thinking that it’s just a way of being lazy in speech. A lot of foreign tourists come to this region and are often baffled, initially, by the vernacular. The Tourist Information do special books on the dialect.
I was trying too hard on summat supeer.
I bet it’s easier to understand in spoken language than in written language.
This is fun! Thanks.
I was thinking American language was lazy, but in the “bread” and “milk” examples of Texas vernacular, we made one syllable words into three and two!
Another ‘goodun’ from Texas…
feee.oom = film ( i.e. camera film )
Again, a one syllable word into two. And stretched out at that.
Speed has a lot to do with ease of understanding. In different regions people talk at different speeds, but I think that can be said of any country.
I like the Texas accent.
wooderson is a great example. he’s authentic.
wooderson is my role model…and i know that might creep some people out.
I think everybody has a Wooderson part to their personality. If they don’t, they should git one.
Unrelated to Wooderson question…how do you pronounce “sandwich”?
I heard myself say ‘samwitch’ the other day , and was quite surprised.
Or, related to Wooderson, how does HE say ‘sandwich’?
“san’wich.”
“samwich” when he’s drunk.
OK how wierd is this? When it’s ham, it’s a ham samwich. If it’s anything else, for instance, cheese, it’s a cheese sandwich. I don’t drink and eat ham at the same time…
i don’t say sandwich, i say sarnie.
OK, that’s a new word for me! Heard ’em called ‘sammies’ here. Think it’s the same?
no, but it sounds interesting, the kind of thing a lagre corporate soul destroying chain might brand as sammie sandwhich with a horrible smiling sanwich wearing a baseball cap, just to suck the kids in.
You’re hired!
even with all those spelling mistakes?
mind you, it was early;.
Hey, we don’t need you to type…just sell crappy ‘sam’wiches to kiddies!
If we see this ‘sammie’ sandwich person in the future, I’m blamin’ you!
How ’bout this?…Patsy pastie? (You had to feel that one coming on)
you have pastie’s in america? they’re still arguing over whether they were invented in devon or cornwall here.
patsy pastie though…could be sammie’s cousin…or are they both products of incest?
Seems that every nationality has brought a form of pasty to American cuisine.
I was unaware of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan being such a hotbed of pasty culture. http://kenanderson.net/pasties/index.html
I did know that we had calzones, empanadas, and pirogues…basically, portable food in an edible wrapper. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornish_pasty
As for Patsy and Sammie…kissin’ cousins.
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I know this is a late contribution, but I haven’t checked the site in a looooong time!
I lived in Amarillo TX (in the panhandle area…aka West TX) for 5 long years and got used to everything there except the word oil. I pronounce it: “oy-yull”. My family there (and most everyone else there) says: “ole”. Like the word pole without the “p”. I could never accept that one. 🙂
still say oy-ull myself. nothing wrong with that